


Episode IX: Victory of the Dyad

by Beatrix_acs



Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Bendemption, Canon Rewrite, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Fix-It, Force Bond (Star Wars), Force Bond Shenanigans (Star Wars), Force Dyad (Star Wars), Happy Ending, Kylo Ren Redemption, Movie: Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Redemption, Rewrite, Rey is Nobody (Star Wars), Rey is Not a Palpatine (Star Wars), Romance, Smut, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker Fix-It, Stormtrooper Rebellion (Star Wars)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-19
Updated: 2021-02-22
Packaged: 2021-03-10 00:27:37
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 30,064
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27684908
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Beatrix_acs/pseuds/Beatrix_acs
Summary: EPISODE IX: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER FIX-IT REWRITE.It's been a year since TROS shattered hearts of many and especially Reylos. Since then, I've been dutifully working on a rewrite of the movie, taking some of the scenes and pieces of dialogue I liked or found meaningful, reversing them into what they logically should be or played with them some more to enhance their significance. I've also taken some of its plot and transformed it into something that hopefully makes much more sense and it's way more satisfying than the movie itself.So, Palpatine is indeed back but how? And what is his game? What Rey and Ben have been up to between TLJ and TROS? What are their individual struggles and how are they going to deal with them? What is the state of the First Order and the Resistance? All answers will be gradually provided in the story as it unfolds.If TROS can be considered as a revenge to TLJ, then this story is my revenge to TROS and you are welcomed to join the ride.Centerpiece of the story is Reylo. Other characters and their actions will appear and will be mentioned but not all will be described in chapters.
Relationships: Finn/Rose Tico, Kylo Ren/Rey, Rey/Ben Solo, Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Comments: 18
Kudos: 32





	1. By the Waterfall, Part 1

**Author's Note:**

> AVAILABLE ALSO ON FANFICTION.NET
> 
> The story behind this fic is simple and it's one of the reasons why it starts off a little bit out of ordinary than it probably should. I have started to write a smutty one-shot based on a scene I had in my head for a long time and found it attractive enough for Reylo. But I am not a writer of dribblers or short stuff, I always write long chapters with exhausting details and the more I wrote the story, the more I sank deeper into details regarding the state of their relationship in the one-shot, state of the world and all the other necessary stuff. It captured me so much that before I realized it, the story in my head expanded into a whole rewrite TROS movie, twisting every single detail I hated into its right and logical shape, turning them against the original interpretation. And I cherished the ones I actually liked, despite their shortage, giving them deeper or a different meaning and placing them into a different time or place.
> 
> Since I took off from the smut I wrote, I decided to leave it where it is - in the beginning - and take it as a corner stone of what is to come. I am not naive to think that this would be the final product that would be in the cinemas or how the story would be told whatsoever but I stand behind it as I tried to shape it in the most believable way possible so it could be a follow-up to the TROS rewrite I have decided to do.
> 
> The story is 90 % Reylo, mostly Rey's POV, and other things important for the development of the storyline are mentioned through the story as well as the characters important for their occurrence.  
> Welcome to my world and enjoy reading!

* * *

**Chapter 1 - By the Waterfall, Part 1**

There was a relaxed smile on her face as she clambered through the paths of the lush forest, her eyes drinking all the green colour around her as she supported her weight on the staff with the lightsaber she had finished a couple of weeks ago loosely hanging around her belt but hidden from the sight of the others. The calming sound of surging water told her that she wasn’t far off from her destination – a waterfall with a pool of crystal clear blue water.

The waterfall wasn’t massive but coming from Jakku made her appreciate whatever body of water as much as she could and thanks to the villagers (or whoever they were) inhabiting this planet of unknown name, she knew her way towards it. Her eyes were full of wonder, caressing the natural beauty of bushy, fresh forest only Takodana could compete with.

Touching the leaves of the broadleaved trees, inspecting their structure, then picking up the fallen needles from conifers and letting them fall back on the ground, was a breathtaking experience for her. Every herb, every mushroom, every trace of wild nature made her to stop for a moment to look at it. Here and then, she was startled by a wildlife animal but they were hardly life-threatening beasts.

She laughed to herself, a bubbly joyful laughter, being pleased with all the peace around her. There was no fear, no war, no training, no overwhelming responsibility hanging over her head. It was like if harsh reality ceased to exist and she just _was_ and _breathed_ the fresh air, marvelling at the nature’s ability to keep surprising her. It felt like a dream and yet, it wasn’t. The reality still kept knocking on her walls at the back of her head but she profusely chose to ignore it at the moment.

Her presence on this neutral, purely trade-oriented planet was no accident, albeit the mission was a mundane task. In some distant past, this planet had some name but either no one could remember it or no one really cared. A genius strategy for a world that had no ruling government, no real inhabitants and wanted to stay out of the line of fire. What didn’t have a name couldn’t be proclaimed as anyone’s property. And so it was used for a trade – often between enemy parties – and utilized by third sides for necessary survival.

Rey’s ‘mission’ on this planet was of the same nature – she had flown a cargo ship over there from nearby well-hidden Resistance base to replenish their supplies and then she should disappear again without getting noticed at best. Luckily, most of the visitors consisting of traders, mercenaries, bounty hunters, smugglers and other people of such sorts had no interest in getting noticed too, so not many of them paid her any attention.

Her decision to explore the planet further was purely made out of curiosity. One of the items she needed to replenish was out of stock and the traders had informed her that a ship with the desired item would arrive in a half a day. She had decided to wait, informed the Resistance about her next move and had gone to kill the remaining time by visiting the waterfall she had seen from the cargo ship.

Boredom was her enemy at the moment and it was, after all, one of the reasons why she had volunteered for this mission. And by ‘volunteered’ she meant intruded herself into it, not giving any chance to anyone to doubt her trading abilities or to force her to accept any companionship. It was pathetic, really, but she craved to be all by herself for a little moment. Her _alone_ was different than the _alone_ she knew on the Resistance base.

Not that she was bored all the time but her desire to train was often replaced by complete physical and mental exhaustion after everyday Force meditation and repetition of the forms of Lightsaber combat. She was getting better but she still had a lot to improve to call herself a Jedi Knight from the legends. At least, that was her own opinion because Leia strongly disagreed with her every single time. No wonder she had taken the chance for a break so eagerly.

While Resistance people were friendly to her, she still often felt very alone and as if nobody really understood who she was. They looked up to her as some sort of a Saviour which often got in the way of forming _real_ bond of friendship. Only a few of them had the courage to overcome their almost holy respect towards her and dared to see her as a normal person.

Naturally, she was left with her closest group who had seen her for more than her Force sensitivity. However, Finn had left a couple of days ago with a unit of Resistance fighters to one of the friendlier planets to verify reports about First Order using it as a harvest point for future Stormtroopers. She had cheered him on this task, knowing that he was the perfect person for the job.

Rose, a woman she had befriended immediately, had left with him and while she wished to accompany them both and prove to be useful, being the last Galaxy’s Jedi didn’t give her any other choice but stay put. Resistance leadership wanted her to be near, always on alert, always ready to protect and fight for those on the main base as it was an important strategic point.

Poe Dameron with whom she had sometimes explosive and complicated friendship was also gone – as one of the veteran pilots despite his age, he had become a commander of his own squadron and was currently training them in some hidden corner of the Galaxy. BB-8 and Chewie had accompanied him to help with other necessary tasks, taking the _Millennium Falcon_ with them.

And so it was really just her and Leia. And Luke’s notes he had written before his unfortunate solitude on Ahch-To. But mostly Leia. And Rey did enjoy her company, she really did because the older woman was an incredible well of experience and wisdom combined in a fierce package. Someone Rey definitely aspired to become one day if the Force provided her with enough strength.

But she was still _the_ General of Resistance, _the_ Legendary Princess from the stories Rey had occasionally overheard at Niima Outpost, _the_ sister of Luke Skywalker, her master, and of course – _the_ love of Han Solo, the man who had treated her like a competent human being since... well, since forever. It was _damn strange_ to just casually chat with the woman and not think about all the imaginary titles.

Not to mention that she also happened to be _the_ mother of the man who was in the lead of Resistance’s adversary. A man who shared a Force bond, a powerful, intimate bond between two people, with Rey. In one weak, unguarded moment, Rey had blurted out the confession about the Force bond to Leia and while it was freeing to have someone who understood what it entailed to talk to, there were moments she deeply regretted it.

And not for her own selfish reasons but more for Leia’s inner peace. To see the silent plea in her eyes to tell her about her son she had to downplay far too often, to observe the internal struggle between Leia Organa, the General and Leia Organa, the Mother was excruciating at times. She still believed that her son could be turned back to the Light and that was why Resistance was just well... resisting, not actually actively attacking the First Order.

Rey shook her head violently in order to expel all these apologetic thoughts out of her head. She didn’t have to keep searching for an apology for her presence here and her insistence on her participation in this ‘mission’. She had simply felt that she might be useful in some other way than using Force and swinging the saber and no one had actually expressed any objections. They all believed that it was safe.

Conquering the last height elevation, she finally set foot on the plain with the waterfall in front of her. In fascination, she took a couple of steps forward to stand at the short piece of shore as she stared at the massive body of water falling down the crags, creating the most beautiful waterfall she had ever seen. Its height wasn’t as impressive as its width but it was still breathtaking.

She estimated that it was as wide as regular TIE fighter’s width and as high as regular X-wing’s width (if she flew it sideways). The water fell down in rich streams, yet there wasn’t much of a noise due to the broadness of the crags beneath the waterfall. The pool below seemed to be quite deep and it was spacious enough for a good number of people to swim in. The water right around the spot where the waterfall touched the pool was a little bit turbid, but still azure blue like the sky and it kept clearing up towards the shore.

It looked as if it was devoid of any wild life but she was sure that it was just an initial impression. Something so gorgeous deserved to be filled with many and many animals. Crouching down, she wetted her hand in the water as if she wanted to caress its beauty and for a moment, she saw the little waves hitting the shore intensifying as if the waterfall was welcoming her and wishing her to have a good time.

She straightened up with a smile, looked around happily and released a deep breath she didn’t even know she was holding. Then she directed her legs along the banks of the natural pool of water through the green flora to find some comfortable place near the waterfall to sit. Such place offered itself in the form of a tiny meadow between two dense tree covers.

It stretched from the bank to the back to the crags that formed the waterfall as well as they fringed the whole valley around the pool of water and the main path she had walked on her way here. Small but adequate for at least two people to sit and have a picnic or something (she had just heard about them), it was also hidden from the eyes of other people arriving from the main path due to the trees in the way.

Dropping her satchel on the ground, she sank down into the soft grass, crossing her legs beneath her. It was a meditation pose but she had no intention to do so as her sole attention was fixed on the waterfall, taking delight in the water splashing down from the height. The noise would be enormous if it wasn’t for the trees surrounding her that muffled some of the roaring sound.

Then she opened the satchel and pulled out a canteen of water and some fruit pieces she had taken with her from the Resistance base as a snack. Her mouth watered immediately as her teeth started to gnaw at the soft pulp of the fruit, flooding her with sweet pleasure. She could definitely imagine a stroll like this one every single day. Just walking through nature, taking a little break to refresh and then head back.

The sun shone on her back, making her feel warm and she found the azure blue water alluring, her desire to stick her feet in it growing stronger. Carefully, she took her staff and tested the depth of the pool right below her and then she decisively slipped her boots off and rolled her three-quarter pants up a little bit. Moving right to the edge of the bank, she lowered her feet down, grasping on the straws of the grass.

The first contact with water was cold and a blissful surge of electricity ran down her spine as she dipped her feet deeper and deeper until her feet sank under the surface completely. She gave out a sigh of pleasure and playfully kicked the water a couple of times, rippling it. With this perfect combination of warm skin and cool feet, she immersed completely in the sound of the waterfall for a couple of endless minutes.

However, her rapture was growing, her desire to intensify this moment of peace and relaxation getting better of her because she knew that soon, there wouldn’t be any chance to experience anything similar. And she could live from the good memories for enormous amount of time. This specific kind of greed probably wasn’t a Jedi thing but she didn’t see anything wrong on it, either.

She only wanted to take a bath in the waterfall pool for never had she had the opportunity to bathe in such an enticing and natural body of water. For a moment she hesitated, biting her lip in contemplation as she gave her mind the chance to nip the idea in the bud. It wasn’t going away, though, so she made her decision and stood up resolutely, looking around herself.

Bathing suit or whatever people used during swimming wasn’t available to her at the moment so if she really wanted to go through with her plan, she had to do so nude. And so she returned back to the main path to find out how much of her could be seen from there since it was the only way how to get to the waterfall. To her delight, the trees offered very poor view on the place she had sat minutes ago.

And so it was decided – she would take a bath in the beautiful azure pool. She knew that this place wasn’t visited often, her place on the meadow was well-hidden and if she saw someone arriving, she would just swim to the nearest bank to hide herself or to talk to the visitors to give her a couple of minutes so she could make herself decent. The plan did have some holes, she admitted that but her desire to bathe was too strong.

She tuned in the Force, searching for the nearest life traces that could threaten her in some way and smiling widely when she found none in the closest and for her safest perimeter. Eagerly, she went back to the meadow and grabbed her adjusted garments that didn’t scream ‘I am a Jedi’ and started to take them off when she suddenly halted in her actions.

There was still one person she needed to check up on before she would completely undress herself. Normally, she wouldn’t bother with it but this man had a magical access to her mind through the Force bond and while he definitely couldn’t see any of her surroundings – just as she couldn’t see his – he would notice that she was naked for sure. It was a first-hand experience, after all.

Releasing a sigh of relief after she found the bond firmly closed, shut down and buried as it had been for the last few days, she finally stripped her clothes off. The bond didn’t cease to exist, of course, it had just been temporarily disconnected. Although neither of them possessed the ability to command it, both had learnt the ability to close it off if focused hard enough and if the other didn’t directly oppose to it.

It brought certain alleviation to their strange relationship. The only problem of this technique was that to control its reconnection appeared impossible. And so they often experienced a powerful pull when the bond forcefully and suddenly opened, usually catching them in a state of inconveniency for the other. The trigger, as they both realized, was an emotional event of personal significance.

She remembered the first time it happened for her quite clearly. Her emotions had poured out of her in strong waves while she had been standing under the flow of hot water that had pleasantly kept hitting her back and relaxing her muscles. It had been an exhausting day, both mentally and physically, and so the shower she had been having was like a gift from the brightest star in the region.

Tiredness had consumed her but she had been refusing to give up the blissful feeling as the water wiped away her tears of exhaustion and her sore muscles melted. She _loved_ showering and by _loved_ she meant a genuine affection for the beautiful activity of scrubbing her skin clean. She profoundly enjoyed scenting herself with various bath gels, always looking forward to testing a fragrance for the first time.

Growing up on a desert planet, a shower was a luxury she could hardly, if ever, afford. After the Resistance people had assured her that showering for more than half an hour wouldn’t deplete the water resources and after she had personally verified the information, she indulged in the activity as often as she was allowed to – occasionally restricted by her conscience and the time she had at her disposal.

She always saw to being alone because her showers were accompanied by quite inappropriate sighs of pleasure – as Finn and Poe had once pointed out to her. Yes, she was vocal because she loved to express aloud her joy over such a simple, yet for her exceptional moment, as a shower. Personally, it wasn’t just about having a common wash. It was her emotional moment of personal significance.

When she had come out of the fresher, wrapped up in a towel while using another one to dry her wet hair, she had stopped dead in her tracks when her eyes had landed on _him_. Sitting on her bed, chewing the inside of his cheek, he had looked up at her _mortified_ with pale complexion and wide eyes. His gulp was the only sound she could hear through the light buzz inside her head.

He had appeared to be more confused about his presence in her room than she had been because as she had opened her mouth in enraged questioning, he had stammered something about the Force bond to be blamed. His choked voice had caught her off guard, just as the incessant roving around the room with his eyes. It had taken her a while to realize what had caused his discomfort and the growing red shade in his cheeks.

First of all, his eyes had kept turning towards the fresher area as he had been expecting another person than Rey to come out. Secondly, he had been aware of her nudity beneath the towel and he had miserably failed in trying to cover up his interest. That poor man had most likely heard _all_ the sighs while she had been in the fresher, supposedly indulging in a completely different activity than showering.

As the realization had dawned on her, her own cheeks had flamed up. A stupid urge had commanded her to quickly explain that she had just been having a shower and that had been it, nothing else had been going on as if she had been his girlfriend or something. He had nodded in acknowledgement and his interest in her body had become more opened. Self-consciously, she had tried to cover herself up as much as she could but whenever she had moved her arm, a different part of her body had felt more naked.

Flustered, they had stared at each other without a word for the rest of the Force bond vision, trying to identify their feelings. Attraction had laced through most of them, both positive and negative. And even though there had barely been any barrier between them so it had been easy to act on it, they had managed to keep it under the control. After all, they hadn’t truly understood it, albeit feeling the same on numerous of occasions.

Since then, this situation had occurred several times. Doing their best in order to deal with it without real confrontation, they had fallen into a certain routine. He had learnt to lower his eyes whenever it was required (she had her suspicions about him ogling her when he thought she wasn’t looking, though) and she had accepted the fact that his broad figure had always sat on her bed whenever she was in the fresher, lowering the volume of her moans.

For him, the emotional moment of personal significance lied in training. He loved to swing his lightsaber around threateningly, dominating the imaginary battlefield within a special programme designed specifically for his needs by First Order engineers who had grown tired by endless repairs whenever Kylo had made up his mind to destroy everything in his reach.

They all had been trembling when they presented him the programme with faceless and neutral enemies who could wield a wide range of weapons from blasters to staff sabers, and a diverse variety of terrains he could test his abilities on. The only requirements for the system to run was a technology advanced enough to deal with the technological demands and an empty space large enough for him to move freely.

His reaction had been unexpected as he had welcomed it and thanked them for their work. They all had been stunned with the warmth but being witnesses of his occasional rampages for years, they hadn’t dared to even think that he’d gotten soft. And after all those years of Snoke’s tyranny, it had been actually relief to work under normal pressure and not in constant fear. So, there was nothing to complain about.

It had become Kylo’s own secluded place that even Hux didn’t dare to step in, pretty much aware of the potential danger. Only the original engineers had the access to the system from time to time when he asked them for some improvements or add-ons to suit his needs and moods. One thing was clear – no longer they had to repair the systems on bases and ships usually destroyed by lightsaber and Kylo Ren hadn’t choked someone to death in a long time.

Because there, within the system, he could unleash his full fury, kill countless enemies, determine his physical and mental boundaries and top them. It was a place where he hid to deal with his inner anger instead of venting it on other members of First Order. Adrenaline mixed with endorphins flowed through his veins like waterfalls whenever he had opted for such type of training, increasing the satisfaction over his own improvements.

Drenched with sweat, he usually snatched his garments off to cool down, except for his pants and boots and let the intoxicating feeling of his victory to soak into his skin as he watched whatever star system they were currently in out of the window. Unlike him, she was already used to his half-naked hobby so when the Force bond transition had taken place for the first time for him, her remark in his direction was more or less filled with amusement.

_Do you always train with your chest bare for the whole Galaxy to see?_

He would have spun around sharply to have the element of surprise but whether he wanted or not, she was his weakness and hearing her voice after that embarrassing staring contest in her room the other night, it had been a welcomed shift back to their usual norm. Dealing with her when she was snide or yelling at him was easier than controlling his urges as he examined her beautiful body.

Instead, he strode across the room, completely ignoring her. He lifted his black T-shirt and pulled it over his head, hitting several buttons on the data pad that was connected to the room’s circuit. Turning around to finally face her, he stared at her darkly for a couple of endless moments. There was something in his eyes that once again rooted her to the floor, something she had seen in her room but she couldn’t quite put a finger on it.

Without a blink, he removed a lightsaber hilt she had never seen before from his belt and threw it in her direction. There was a self-satisfied smirk on his lips when she had wordlessly caught it mid-air with the Force and let it peacefully land in her hand. He had watched as she had ignited it, turning the hilt in her hands as if she had been trying to uncover the greatest secrets of the universe.

The colour was white and as she had toyed with it for a moment, she had realized that the weapon only resembled to a real lightsaber. It couldn’t deal any real blow, it couldn’t damage anything, it was just a tool for safe training so no one (or nothing) could be harmed. A clever prop, she had admitted so. It had also explained why he had so recklessly given her a chance to attack him.

While she had hesitated at first, she had eventually nodded in agreement over his suggestion to spare together. Gradually as the time passed and the Force bond meetings occurred repeatedly, they fought against each other as two individuals, then as individual parts of two different armies against a common enemy in the special programme and in the end, they had fought side by side completely alone against a vast imaginary army.

Both breathless and exhausted from the training at the end of the session, they refused to be loathsome and instead, they complimented on the combat styles and even pointed out some mistakes that were observed by the other side. All those remarks were respectfully accepted and communicated without sarcasm or insults, yelling or hissing. And the best part – they were equals, there was no subordination or inferiority involved.

Although it could seem that their connection through the Force was basically very domestic, considering all the previously stated information, it was hardly the ordinary reality. They still yelled at each other, both sometimes very temperamental, ready to slit the throat of the other if they had to. However, such moments were occurring less and less and it was only thanks to their mutual acceptance of the Force bond.

They also saw each other in their worst – the emotional moment of personal significance didn’t always mean a positive event. Actually, the ones of a negative nature lately predominated as if something raw and evil was about to engulf them and put them to the test. Rey didn’t like these because Ben was always insufferable as opposed to the positive ones. The darkness rolled off him in strong waves and it often clouded her own thoughts, gradually snuffing the light inside her.

When she had first seen him in such a state, mutely staring in front of him with hollow eyes, pallid so much that even his lips were almost white (not that she was ever looking at his lips, she _wasn’t_ ), hunched in the corner of his bed and at times rocking back and forth, she had been terrified. If he had just woken up from nightmare or he had been just been living through one, she hadn’t known but the condition had been too familiar to her.

Several times she tried to talk to him, calling his name – both as Ben and Kylo Ren – wanting to help him out because it did pain her to see him in such a state, wondering what could be plaguing him. He pushed her out violently every single time so she had no other choice but to reserve to just watching him from the shadows and analyzing his worst mutely inside her head, trying to find some clue in the pattern of his nightmares or even sense an echo of them.

Since he refused to talk to her about these, playing deaf whenever she mentioned them, she got even with him by pushing him out as well every time the moment of her worst had appeared. The pleading tone in his voice as he repeated her name like some mantra, willing her to talk to him about her bad mood, was very hard to resist but she stood her ground and promised herself to open to him only if he opened up to her in return.

This almost agonizing cycle had been broken about a month ago. The powerful disturbance in the Force that filled her with unflagging dread had brought him to the very edge of insanity. His eyes had no longer been hollow, the emptiness replaced by an abyss that mirrored the state of his soul, the white of his eyes bloodshot. His touch had been freezing cold, his skin almost colouring into an unhealthy shade of blue.

The rocking back and forth had been swapped for uncontrollable tremor of his whole body, his lips parched and quivering as his teeth had chattered. It had looked as if he had spent quite some time on a very cold place but it couldn’t have been further from the truth. The sweat had been pouring all over his body, wetting his hair as if he had just come out of a fresher.

She hadn’t called out his name this time and she hadn’t even stayed standing in the shadows, observing him. Her heart had been already ripped out right in the moment she had laid her eyes upon him. Although she had had no idea what was going on and if her next steps hadn’t been more damaging than salvaging, she had run over to him and cradled him in her arms.

His reaction had been weak because it had taken him at least half an hour to realize that she was uttering words of comfort into his ear, raking his hair, embracing him and soothingly caressing his back. His state had frightened him more than it had frightened her and he had warned her that she might be playing with fire. He hadn’t got a clue what he could have done once he was fully himself again.

Of course she had ignored him and finally let the tears fall down from the corners of her eyes down her cheeks. A sob had riddled through her, making her to tighten her arms around him as a flood of her compassion for him had hit him hardly. It had sent a wave of pleasant warmth through his body and improved his state immediately. Surprised, he had pulled away from her to look into her teary face.

They had stared at each other for a while, Rey smiling at him when she could have seen that he was getting better. He had contemplated to say and do a lot of things to show his gratitude but he hadn’t gotten the chance because in that moment, the connection between them had been broken. Her physical presence had disappeared but her comforting ministrations, her sweet words and her smile had stayed with him in his memory.

A little chance for requiting the uncommon moment of kindness had arrived soon enough, though. A few weeks later, actually a couple of days ago, he had done a very similar thing for her when he had been suddenly pulled into her environment, watching her as she had made a mess of her personal quarters in a fit of unfounded rage. It hadn’t reached his level of usual wrath so there was no threat for her to dab in the Dark side but still... She had been hurting.

Since she had still been aware of whom he was, she hadn’t given away much information as she had sobbed into his shoulder, wetting his tunic with streams of tears but he had detected her extremely high level of frustration. Caressing her hair, his hand had itched with the urge to violate her mind and find the source of her sadness – for her own good so he could help her.

But he had withstand it and instead had learnt to read between the lines of her worded sobs – her training had been exhausting her to the point of fainting lately, she had just found out that she would be on the base alone as her friends had been leaving and she had had zero clue where to start looking when it came to the disturbance in the Force, being left with studying notes and holocrons, anxiously waiting for _something_ to happen to give her the hint what it could be and how she could fight it.

He hadn’t uttered a word out of two reasons – he hadn’t wanted to seem that he was on a spying mission, trying to extract useful information out of her, and because he actually knew what the disturbance had meant. And for her own sake, he hadn’t revealed to her anything, his large hands simply attempting to bring some comfort to her just as she had done it for him.

When this Force bond connection had ended, he had focused especially strongly in order to seal the permeable tunnel between them, making sure that it would last a while, despite certain emotional fluctuations. Why he had done it, she didn’t know but for sure he was up to something as he apparently didn’t want her to find out. She considered it to be for the best since she was certain she hadn’t revealed to him anything of value and her friends were safe.

Her body sank safely into the blue pool and she immediately found a firm ground beneath her feet as the bottom was covered with small blunt stones she could stand on without problems. The water was cold and goose bumps sprouted on her skin like withered flowers after a fresh splash. She rippled the water with her hands carefully as if she wanted to caress it and then she bent her knees to submerge up to her shoulders.

Her hands played with the small waves for a little longer and then she bounced off the bottom and started to swim. At first, she stayed close to the meadow’s bank but as she got bolder, her strokes becoming more confident, she swam all around carefully. Although she didn’t dare to get too close to the waterfall, she enjoyed the rumbling sound beneath the surface.

It was only a question of time until she also dived under the surface, wetting her hair but not minding it at all. After she dived deeper, attempting to touch the bottom, she resurfaced nearby the bank at the meadow and threw her hair over her shoulder. With care, she twisted it and squeezed it to get as much water as she could out of it when she suddenly heard something.

Freezing on the spot, she slowly let go of her hair and turned around to examine the bank but she couldn’t see any source of the sound. Normally, she wouldn’t have probably heard it through the waterfall’s loud roar but her Force sensitivity had gifted her with certain abilities and exceptionally good sense of hearing was among them. _Something_ or _someone_ had caused the sound for sure.

However, despite her other Force’s connected abilities that included detecting life traces of the living things around her, she couldn’t identify the one she was looking for, simply because she couldn’t feel it. She was ready to shrug her shoulders and admit that _maybe_ her imagination tricked her but then she heard the same sound of a cracking wood again – and this time it was unmistakable.

Crossing her arms over her chest to cover her breasts, she looked around again, carefully scouting the area to notice any kind of a change but she still couldn’t find any. “Who hides there?” She called out as firmly and confidently as she could. “I know you’re here so I advise you to show up.”

“Hello, Rey.” A familiar figure greeted her in an unhurried, soft tone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I could go on but cliffhangers are so tempting... Let me allow to have at least this one. I promise that Chapter 2 will come soon enough and then we will dive deeper into the whole TROS rewrite. :)  
> Comments are appreciated!


	2. By the Waterfall, Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Frollicking, clarifications and oh, smut. ;)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Story is also available on Fanfiction.net  
> Thank anyone who came to read the story and I hope you’ll enjoy the new chapter. HAPPY NEW YEAR!

**__ **

**_Episode IX: Victory of the Dyad_ **

**_Chapter 2 – By the Waterfall, Part 2_ **

_PREVIOUSLY_

_Crossing her arms over her chest to cover her breasts, she looked around again, carefully scouting the area to notice any kind of a change but she still couldn’t find any. “Who hides there?” She called out as firmly and confidently as she could. “I know you’re here so I advise you to show up.”_

_“Hello, Rey.” A familiar figure greeted her in an unhurried, soft tone._

She heard the voice before she even saw the person to whom it belonged to. Her blood ran cold as she watched the man from her visions to come out of his hiding spot among the trees and walk over to a boulder on the bank where he nonchalantly leaned against it, crossing his arms and his ankles in a leisure posture. His eyes were intently watching her but softly, with amused interest.

She stared back at him, assessing his attire and wondered what kind of transition this was supposed to be. Gone was the black tunic, the cowl, the mask and his menacing pose. Instead his clothes resembled... a strange mix of Kylo Ren and Han Solo styles of fashion. Black boots, black trousers, black T-shirt and black vest over the T-shirt with a black belt around his hips with a blaster holster were so typical of him, yet so strangely unfamiliar.

Gulping, she had to admit that he was damn attractive, especially with the stubble on his face. It somehow made him look boyish but also more mature in the same time. Not that he wasn’t sinister; he still commanded respect with all aspects of his personality. But if he didn’t want to be recognized as Kylo Ren and blend with the crowd on the planet, this was certainly a way to go.

Her bottom lip trembled with the effort as she closed her eyes and willed the Force bond connection to end but to her surprise, she _couldn’t feel_ anything. He didn’t disappear, no matter how hard she tried and focused. He said nothing, just patiently waited until she would realize that no Force bond was involved in this meeting because it was still firmly closed as it had been for the last few days.

Huffing in frustration, she sized him up and down. “This isn’t a vision...” She whispered in unbelieving tone. She was so used to seeing him as a part of her connection through the Force with him that it felt almost unreal to see him in the flesh in front of her. “You are really here.”

“Indeed.” He replied, his eyes turning away from the beauty of the waterfall to bore into hers.

Endless minutes passed as they stared at each other, Kylo leaning against the boulder and Rey, standing in the water, both with folded arms across their chests, though in a different way. She immediately considered a fight between them as a course of her next action, considering she noticed his lightsaber hidden and shielded from the view of unaware people but known to her as she had used the same technique.

A fly in the ointment was that she could easily beckon to her lightsaber with the Force but fighting right away would mean to do so as she was. Naked. She could have gotten used to their awkward half-naked Force bond meetings but her level of confidence wasn’t _that_ high to just emerge from the water in a combat stance and initiate the fight. And she really didn’t expect her adversary to give her some moment to prepare.

Although she could detect desire in his look, she realized that it wasn’t of a warlike nature. There was no hint that he wished to ignite his lightsaber and strike at her. Guessing from the slight tilt of his head, he was more interested in her and her apparent aberration with water. There was a certain line of fondness in his stare as if he immensely enjoyed what he saw.

Maybe she should focus on the important matters at hand – if he obviously didn’t lust for crossing their lightsabers _, then what was the reason for his presence here? How long had he been cowering among the trees and watching her? How did he even know that she was on the planet? How was it possible that the Force bond remained still closed and she couldn’t sense anything from him?_

“What are you doing here?” She fired at him in an inquisitive tone, hinting that she was ready to torture him for the information so he could drop the act and share it freely. “Did you follow me? That is why you closed the bond so I wouldn’t know about your intentions?”

He spread his arms to use them as imaginary weights for his answer. “Yes and no.” He admitted sincerely and his eyes turned back to the waterfall for a moment. “Yes, I did close the bond so you wouldn’t know about my intentions. I’m aware of the Resistance base in this part of the region, although I don’t know its exact location. I simply didn’t want anyone who can sniff me out anywhere to know that I’m heading on this planet.”

His choice of clothing was suddenly clearer to her. Whatever his plans on this forsaken planet were, he intended to carry them out incognito, not as a Force-sensitive lightsaber-wielding Supreme leader of the First Order, ready to use any means to succeed in his endeavour. Her interest had increased and so she didn’t even flinch when he suddenly crouched down on the bank and looked straight at her.

“And no, I didn’t follow you, Rey.” He assured her and his eyes held her brown gaze for a long second, watching in fascination as her face seemed to glow with the sunrays hitting the water around her. “I’m just as surprised with your presence here as you are with mine.”

Imagine his surprise when he had been minding his own business, actually preparing to leave after he had obtained the information he had searched for on this planet when she’d suddenly passed by him, all smiles and with a strong determination in her stride. He had turned away immediately so she wouldn’t have recognized his face but she had paid him no attention whatsoever.

Too curious and internally elated that the stars had aligned in a perfect constellation and he had seen her for _real_ since the throne room battle against Snoke’s Imperial guards, he had shadowed her. Their bond remained closed and so he hadn’t had to fear that she would have detected him through the Force. He had only had to be careful about not being too loud in his pursuit.

He didn’t have to guess her reasons for visiting this planet, he was aware of its trade nature. It still surprised him, though, that his mother would have let her only Jedi asset wander alone, doing mundane stuff such as resupplying the Resistance without any companions. But a brief observation had showed him that she was alone, not even the droid was with her.

“Then what is your business here?” She brushed her mind against his, trying to find a way in, to break the concrete wall he had built in order to seal the bond firmly. She was almost desperate to detect the reasons for it, as well as the secret about his presence here.

With a smile she could swear she had never expected to see on his face, he clicked his tongue in amusement and wiggled his forefinger at her disapprovingly, chastising her. “One I won’t tell, of course, _my_ curious scavenger.” He refused to reveal anything, sounding very possessively when he had called her by her former occupation. “I’m not fooled so easily.”

She snorted in response, her cheeks flaring up with anger – both for his refusal to give away the information and the nickname he had given her, although she had to admit that he hadn’t used it in a mocking manner. Her chest heaved up and down as her fuming breaths took control over her body and he found himself unable to tear his gaze away from the swell of her breasts she left exposed to him.

It wasn’t an unfamiliar sight for him, considering their Force bond connections over the past few months but he had never seen her so worked up that her cleavage would be so visible. He willed his eyes to look back up to her face but his attraction towards her that was turning more and more into a physical need to be near her was getting better of him and he only saw just a tiny bit of her skin.

Furrowing her eyebrows when she saw that his eyes were fixated on one place on her body, she finally realized that she was standing _naked_ in the water. “Uhm... Could you...?” She asked him tentatively, tightening the arms around her as she shrugged her shoulders to the side to sign him that he could be so kind to turn around and stay like that for a moment until she would make herself decent.

“...join you? With pleasure.” The words were out of his mouth before he could stop them and his body followed the spoken words without hesitation.

She stared at him in shock as he shrugged off his vest and unclasped his belt until the realization finally hit her brain. “Wait, this is not what I—” She didn’t finish the sentence, abruptly turning away from him when he pulled the T-shirt over his head.

Muttering under her breath, she retreated from the bank with her back to him, still shielding herself with her hands and thus treading the water. _What the hell was he playing at?_ She could have coped with meeting him in the flesh but it hadn’t meant that she expected it to be so tangible. Not that she had any intention to touch his flesh or let him to touch hers but... she was simply aware that their naked bodies were currently sharing the same enclosed space.

Wishing that the roar of the waterfall would render her deaf, she startled when she suddenly heard his voice so close to her. “Relax, Rey. This pool is big enough for both us.” He whispered right next to her ear, sending shivers down her spine, only a sound of splash remaining after him as he swam away from her.

Feverishly thinking how to get out of this dangerous pickle, she nibbled on her thumb nervously while he kept swimming all around her. When she decided that the best shot she had was to take advantage of his moment of inattention, quickly climb back up on the bank of the meadow, seize his blaster and lightsaber, take hers, as well as her clothes and threaten him to stay in the water or she would shoot him until she got herself dressed and then disappear, he didn’t give her a single opportunity to carry out such a plan.

“You don’t have to be afraid to turn around, _scavenger_.” He called out to her as he settled on the very bank of the meadow she had intended to use, standing in the water with his arms behind his head.

The usage of the word ‘scavenger’ guaranteed him her full attention – which was, after all, the reason why he had used it. She made a brisk turn to face him, her lips moving in silent curses as her eyes narrowed him in anger. “Why are you doing this?” She questioned him, postponing her plan for escape for a while as his broad figure stood in the way.

A noticeable shrug shook with his shoulders. “It’s fun.” He explained nonchalantly with a lopsided smirk.

“I highly doubt you know what it really means to have fun.” She retorted with a snort, forcefully drawing her eyes away from his wet, naked chest but she threw a glance at the cute little drops falling down from his soggy hair ends.

“I’m willing to let you teach me.” He responded calmly, his eyes shining with a challenge he would love to win.

There was an annoyed roll of her eyes instead of a verbal reply and then silence befell over their heads. Kylo didn’t mind it because he revelled in watching the petite form of the Jedi warrior in front of him, exceptionally not spitting venomous words at him. Meanwhile, Rey desperately tried to come up with a variety of alternative plans for her escape without embarrassing herself even more.

She needed a distraction and a good one. One that would keep him busy long enough to create an opportunity for her to proceed with the initial plan with slight modifications before he would even know what was happening. Fight between them was no longer an option because whatever his plans here were, he hadn’t threatened her or hadn’t tried to kill her. _Yet_. But it was still more than she had anticipated so she was giving the credit where it was due.

 _Maybe..._ Maybe she could give him a lesson about the right way of having fun when he was so eager to be her student. It would also teach him the lesson about not giving his adversary the opportunity to take to her heels but why she should care if it worked at least this one time? She could only pray her little ruse would work in the intended way, not getting out of hand.

Bending her knees, she submerged her body under the water up to her shoulders so she could release her breasts and have free hands without him seeing any more skin of her. She took the great risk and closed her eyes as she focused on the Force and her connection to this omnipresent power. Her breathing calmed as she parted her lips and then, she started to make little gestures with her hands under the water.

Kylo cocked his head, his interest in the woman growing with every second he knew her. He had no idea what she pursued with whatever she was doing at the moment but the scowl of concentration was undeniable. Carefully and softly, he tested the Force bond but immediately crashed into the firm wall he had built earlier. And without getting through, he could hardly detect her intentions.

And since his attention was focused solely on her, he didn’t notice the approaching bubble of water floating in the air of the size twice his head. Rey furrowed her eyebrows with the effort as she directed it right above his head and just when she opened her eyes and relaxed her hands, the bubble burst and splashed Kylo with a minor flood, soaking his hair, blinding his vision and filling his mouth with water.

Sniggering at the yelp and splutter he let out in surprise, she watched as he shook the water off his hair, running his fingers through it while rubbing his face to clear his sight. “So, this is your version of fun?” He questioned but the anticipated annoyance in his voice was nowhere to be detected. Instead, a genuine curiosity vibrated through his tone.

It didn’t shatter the enjoyment over her little Force trick, though. “Actually yes, it is. I find it highly amusing.” She responded cheekily, biting back more laughter as he attempted to unglue his wet hair from his forehead and form it into some acceptable style.

When he was done, he lifted his gaze to her with another challenge shining from his eyes, freezing her on the spot with anticipation. “You’re going to pay for that, _Jedi_.” He raised a warning finger in her direction as she stuck out her tongue at him cheekily.

Her impudence was punished with a ‘Force splash’ immediately afterwards. He raised his hand to use a Force push, focusing on the water beneath his palm and created quite a wave that surged right onto her. To prevent the hit on her face, she rose back up, her arms firmly hiding her chest, and turned around to minimize the impact with her back, squealing as the wave crashed into her.

Her already wet hair barely held the same three bun hairdo she was currently wearing, one of the hair elastics irretrievably vanishing on the bottom of the pool but she couldn’t care less. She loved the childish energy rushing through her, her escape plans put on hold for the time being because she entirely forgot about them. The atmosphere in the air that specifically circled around them was charged with something... _good_ and _right_. As if her time on this planet was marked by liberty and surrealism.

“I take that as a declaration of war, _Supreme Leader_.” She didn’t miss a beat when it came to teasing nicknames and repaid his attack in the same way, using the Force push to lift a wave and send it against him.

He evaded it by plunging into the water, swimming under the wave and resurfacing back up. Their eyes locked and another staring contest ensued as they both contemplated whether to end this game or continue it. Despite the closed bond, they managed to communicate only with their eyes and light gestures and once they both reached the mutual agreement and sealed it with a nod, the battle could commence.

It was an unusual duel that would be aesthetically more pleasing if lightsabers were involved but it was quite a spectacle nevertheless. Force wave followed force wave, splashes sprinkled all over the area of the pool, hitting even the waterfall. Water bubbles were floating in the air, bursting or just bouncing around as they tried to stop them with Force and use it against their opponent.

Rey completely forgot about her nakedness, rollicking in the water freely but Kylo was too busy to get the upper hand in this water battle contest that it wasn’t likely for him to notice it. He was determined to avenge his bruised ego when she managed to hit him with a large water bubble for a third time. She needed to be captured to discover what it meant to be on the losing side.

And so he started to chase her across the pool, towards the waterfall but she was nimble and agile and she slipped through his grasp many times with a giggle he was falling in love with. But after several attempts, he succeeded, catching her ankle underwater as she tried to flee away from him. Before she could do a stroke, he reached for her calf and drew her closer to him, not minding the kicking movements of her legs.

Involuntarily, she sank her head beneath the surface as she struggled against his grip but he quickly caught her by her waist, turned her around and took her by her hands to lift her up. Her body emerged from the water, crashing into his, chest to chest, as she took a deep breath, finally drawing the fresh air into her lungs. Securing his arms around her waist to keep her standing, he embraced her tightly and just held her.

Her hot breath fanned his neck where her parted lips settled, her arms loosely hanging over his shoulders as she tried to pull herself together. “Got you.” He whispered to her as she slipped her hands down on his chest, lifting her gaze to him, water flowing down her back from her loose soggy hair.

Locking their eyes like so many times before, she spread her palm over his heart and knew that the erratic beating she could feel wasn’t caused by the energy output spent on their water chase. That much she already could read in his soft, lost look. _Longing. Loneliness. Desire. Rejection._ So many powerful emotions expressed in one simple look he devoted to her.

“Let go of me.” She asked him out of instinct, her plea hollow and false as her body pressed to him when he ran his hand down her back.

It was either ignorance or inattention but he didn’t react to her words as if he didn’t hear them. Instead, he looked down on his chest and slowly reached for her hand over his heart. Pensively, he took it into his, measuring them and marvelling at the coincidence that his large hand could fully envelope hers and she watched him doing it, mesmerized by his actions.

“I offered you my hand once. You wanted to take it.” He said distantly as she turned her palm in his hand and they touched, lacing their fingers firmly in an intimate gesture. Then he looked at her and his voice broke. “Why didn’t you?”

“Wha—” She let out in surprise, her eyes widening with shock as her chest tightened with burning anxiety.

She couldn’t believe that after all those months full of Force bond connections during which they had talked, yelled, fought with each other and alongside each other, stared at one another endlessly and provided so much comfort, he would choose _this particular_ moment to touch upon the topic they had avoided for so long. What had happened in the throne room was a taboo neither of them had wanted to revisit.

“Are you kidding me? Why are you bringing this up _right now_?” She questioned him apprehensively, suddenly squirming in his embrace as she wished to flee away from this conversation and his pressing, urgent gaze.

His bottom lip trembled with a silent, desperate plea on his tongue. “Just tell me. I offered you everything I could think of... a new, peaceful order for the galaxy and you, becoming something meaningful no matter what your past is, no matter what _my_ past is.” He said as he released her hand and buried his fingers into her hair, untangling the wet strands from each other.

“I—” She failed to find the right words because what she wanted to communicate was too complicated for verbal expressions. She could easily get lost on the way and if he really did want to know the answer, it was better to convey those feeling to him in a different way.

Opening the Force bond would definitely help because he would have the chance to sense her thoughts and read through them if she let him. Her eyes closed once again as she focused on the pervasive power everywhere around her, trying to tear down the walls he had constructed. She felt him to join her in the effort but despite the fact that it was a connection _between_ the two of them, neither seemed to inflict a single crack.

“Rey...” He whispered in a tone laced with emotions that made her body tremble and caused a pleasant tug within her stomach. He leaned his forehead against hers, trying to amplify their endeavour.

And suddenly, she knew what she had to do in order to knock down the barrier. The Force bond had always opened after a strong, emotional event of personal significance so the logical conclusion was to experience one. One that would be significant for both of them and learn the lesson the Force was trying to teach them – to accept unconditionally the intimacy of their connection and stop resisting the strange pull towards each other.

Pulling away, she opened her eyes to look deeply into his eyes, to make the whole situation more meaningful. Her hand landed on his cheek and she searched his face for a permission of sorts but all he did was to follow the roving movements of her eyes. She let out a breath she didn’t know she was holding and with a surprise etched in her facial features as if she couldn’t believe what she was about to do, she kissed him.

His reaction was instantaneous, the kiss being a fantasy he desired to turn into a reality for a long time. His lips hungrily responded to her chaste kiss, his hand finding its way on the nape of her neck to bring her closer and closer, his desperation seeping from every pore of his skin. After all, the kiss itself bore a sign of certain hopelessness because whatever had been holding her back in the past now completely crumbled into pieces.

And with it crumbled the wall built around their Force bond. First cracks started to appear immediately and soon, her Light immersed into his Dark and his Dark basked in her Light, dancing the dance of unfulfilled desires. The more they stopped fighting the feelings buried deep inside them, the more the Force bond acquired its previous solid and clear form.

Before long he could read, sense and analyze the answer on his questions within her mind where she let him willingly. She explained that she had understood his desire to let old things die and build a new future. After becoming his own man, ending the years-lasting Snoke’s dark grasp over him, it was nothing but clear that he had never really had the free will to do whatever he wished to and wanted to make up for it.

But she had also wished for him to understand that she wouldn’t have just abandoned what she had sought for so long – a place and people she could call home. Especially after learning the harsh truth about her parents, no matter that she hadn’t accepted it yet. Such ‘peace’ would have been redeemed by blood, by death of people she cared about and that wasn’t her way.

She had also understood that him turning against Snoke and liberating himself hadn’t meant that he would let go of the darkness. He had still struggled with being either Kylo Ren or Ben Solo, denying his birth name once again in the throne room. After all, he had proven her right in no time after he had mercilessly attacked the Resistance on Crait just because he had been pissed that she hadn’t chosen him.

However, none of it meant that she wouldn’t accept his hand in the future. They were instruments of the Force and if the Force willed such a future, she would welcome it with open arms. The moment back in the throne room simply hadn’t been timed well. He needed to learn his lesson that he couldn’t bend Force to his will and solve his inner conflict whether he wished to be the embodiment of the Dark side as Kylo Ren or redeemed embodiment of the Light known as Ben Solo.

She was aware that Kylo couldn’t exist without Ben. She was aware that their paths would have never crossed if it hadn’t been for Kylo’s relentless hunger to get the map to reach Luke and if it hadn’t been for his remorseless desire to show the Galaxy that he was rightfully feared, threatening her friends. Without Kylo’s actions, she would have probably been still on Jakku, scavenging for more and more parts, just surviving.

And she necessarily didn’t want him to separate those two. She used his real name to humanize the creature in the mask, to remind him what he once had been and still could be. Her preference of Ben meant that she knew that it had been Ben Solo who had found her interesting, talked to her through their Force bond, stared at her with pleading eyes that both threatened and adored. It was Ben Solo, the human with emotions she had a liking for, not the menacing expressionless masked figure of Kylo Ren.

He released her lips with a gasp, immediately craving her taste again. What he had seen in her mind was enough for him to understand her point of view and the explanation didn’t need any further and deeper analysis to realize why she hadn’t killed him when she had had the chance. And he had to admit that she wasn’t out of touch with reality because contrarily, she had grasped its logic as no one else he had ever met.

“I wanted to take your hand. But Ben’s.” She confessed keenly, afraid that it didn’t have to be entirely obvious from the insight into her thoughts and memories. “Not Kylo’s. And that is who you were at that moment.”

There was no display of anger from him. Only comprehension settled in his face and a sad nod of acknowledgment followed as he confirmed to her that he _understood_. And he truly did although he wouldn’t have changed a single thing on his previous conduct because she was right – the timing had been wrong. They had a long way ahead to reach the same version of the required mindset to join the forces.

Staring at each other, they savoured the ardent feeling of the reopened Force bond between them for a moment. It felt so _right_ and _good_ , prodding them into a blind addiction. Neither of them was bothered by standing in the azure water pool nearby a roaring waterfall, naked, snuggling against one another without any sign of awkwardness or embarrassment. It was simply meant to be.

A barely noticeable lick of her bottom lip made him to widen his eyes, his yearning to taste her reaching unsustainable degree. He reached for her chin, lifting it upwards with an easy movement of his fingers and watched with a desirous gleam in his eyes as she parted her lips and uttered sigh of anticipation. She _wanted_ to be kissed by him, her eyes were _begging_ for it.

She already squinted her eyes as he leaned in for a kiss but then he paused, millimetres away from her lips and she moved with them in the air instinctively. “And who I am now?” He asked her when she realized that he stalled the kiss momentarily, blinking rapidly to clear the haze in her head and focus on the meaning behind his words.

An immediate channel of recent memories had emerged in the midst of their Force bond, showing her his behaviour and reading his intentions as far as he allowed her to. She couldn’t detect a single malevolent element among his demeanour, including deception, not only towards her but generally involving the visit of this planet. His plans were chaste, his appearance likeable and his heart was full of positive feelings.

“You’re Ben.” She whispered, the corners of her mouth pleasantly hurting as she beamed at him, softly caressing his cheek and his ear, looking at his natural smile. “ _My_ Ben.”

Whatever insecurity or need for assurance had been behind his question, he was most certainly satisfied with her answer. Not waiting any longer, he literally crashed into her, both with his body and his mouth, embracing her tighter than ever before, lifting her legs off of the pool’s bottom. She clung onto him for the much needed support, returning him the kiss with the same passion.

His hands moved to her nicely curved loins, tilting her back and she had to kick with her legs in order to keep herself floating in the water. That caused his mouth to slip down to her bosom as he attempted to catch her legs and provide her some stability. She moaned at the sensual graze of his nose in her cleavage as he lifted his head to look at her, her fingers driving through his hair.

He _loved_ the sound of her moan she could tell that from the heated look he gave her. Flexing his muscles as he lowered himself deeper into the water, he firmly stuck his left arm beneath her knees and secured his right arm around her back. She understood his intention and so she followed the lead by wounding her arms around his neck to anchor herself in the right position.

Then, he stood up, his broad chest emerging from the water with her feathery body in his arms in a bridal carry. They locked their eyes as he carried her towards the waterfall, her endless look expressing the unwavering trust she had in him. There was no trace of a question, no shadow of a doubt in her eyes, only strong and eternal faith that was giving him the so much needed strength.

She giggled joyously when the spray of water from the waterfall hit her head and she bathed in it for a moment until he used the Force to separate the water, revealing an alcove in the crags beneath it. She barely paid any attention to it, though, mesmerized by the captivating look of enthrallment in his eyes as he leaned in and she offered him her lips in return.

It was a brief, yet affectionate kiss that promised more, far more than they could have ever imagined. As if he knew exactly where he was going, where to put his legs to ensure the firm ground beneath his feet, he took her up in the alcove, the water shutting behind them like a watery door. His knees bent to minimize the impact, he put her down on the ground and then sat next to her in a way so he could see her face.

Her curious eyes roamed around the alcove, realizing that it was actually part of a cave system in the crags. There were three alcoves right behind the waterfall connected through tunnels, providing enough light in the middle one they were in. It was apparently used by someone or something because the ground was covered with broad-leaved bedding from trees from the forest to make the alcove more comfortable.

Whoever had resided there hadn’t used this place for a while, though. Most of the leaves had already lost their naturally green colour, turning to the shades of yellow and brown. It didn’t make it less cosy but it was something she couldn’t help but notice in order to assure herself that they wouldn’t be disturbed because she had plans. Great plans. And it would be a shame to give them up.

She caught him staring at her intently when her eyes settled back on his face, drawing her knees to her body to rest her head on them. More than an unbridled hunger, she saw admiration and fascination in his expression. Smiling up at him brightly, she leaned her head forward when he reached out his hand to her, tentatively caressing her cheek down to her swollen lips.

He touched them carefully, almost as if he couldn’t believe that their exceptional colour had been caused by the intense kissing they had undergone just a couple of minutes ago. A hiss escaped his mouth when she dared to dart her tongue out and lick his finger lightly, a completely different kind of fascination appearing in his eyes. One he wished to explore further, blindly and without fear.

Their heads leaned in for the kiss in the same time as if they were pulled closer by some invisible rope between them, amplified by the lustful feelings seeping into the Force bond. When their lips met, it felt perfectly natural, their limbs sneaking around heads, faces, bodies of each other in the desperate and innate urge sate the hunger for a warm, tantalizing touch.

Rey attempted to lie them down but Ben resisted her effort, keeping them in the sitting position. Instead, he breathlessly gasped into her mouth and released it to draw some fresh air into his lungs, leaning his forehead against hers. Catching her own breath, she joined him in the little battle of their noses as he rubbed his over hers, fanning her cheek with his hot, short breaths.

“Force, I want you so much.” He breathed out, his mind momentarily opened to her fully in order to help her understand how painful his physical need for her could be.

A lascivious groan vibrated through her throat as her consent he apparently sought wrapped around her inner thoughts. Leaning away from him to put hands on his face and look into his eyes, she licked her lips before speaking. “Then take me because I need you, too.” She confessed passionately, not even daring to think how she could walk away now without dealing with the throbbing between her legs.

Flicker of surprise noticeably ran over his face as if he had never expected her to go that far with him but it was quickly replaced by mild predatory look that send shivers down her spine. He wasn’t about to question her choice. He was given a chance and he intended to make the most out of it for both him and her, for their Force bond, for the fulfilment of their connection.

This time his kiss was distinctly ravenous, attacking her mouth and face with affectionate need for her. She let him to be as fiery as he needed to be, anchoring herself against his body to keep up with his rhythm by gripping various parts of his chest and muscular arms. Obeying the tangible commands of his hands on her body was then almost an innate talent she had just discovered.

His large hand stuck between her thighs so he could grab one of them, his warm caress down to her knee giving her the instruction to stretch out her legs. Snorting with a giggle into his urgent kiss, she couldn’t control the blissful reaction on the way his fingers started to play with her knee pit, surprisingly showing her another sensitive point on her body.

The very same attention was paid to her calf and her ankle with a small but indeed relaxing massage of her foot. He wasn’t only a master in the ways of the Force but he had also had a grasp of sensual techniques leading to the feeling of complete relaxedness of her body. She felt light, almost hazy, but still pretty much aware of her senses heightened by the lustful rule over her mind.

Then his hand gave a gentle nudge to her legs and she parted them willingly, no Force power involved in the movement. A strong, thirsty need deep within her wanted him to be there, desired him _that_ close to the very core of her body. And he didn’t disappoint as he positioned his broad figure in front of her without breaking the kiss, deepening it and robbing her off of her breath.

Her hands slipped down his torso, dutifully caressing every single curve of his muscles beneath her fingers. Eventually, she had to stretch her arms behind her to keep herself sitting as he kept devouring her mouth, plunging his tongue deeper inside. His large hands gripped her thighs and for a moment, she blinked her eyes open to see him standing on his knees before her.

There was a slight moment of inattention from her side as she wondered whether she had ever dreamt about getting Kylo Ren on his knees and weighing the pros and cons of the actual reality since it was happening at the moment. Taking full advantage of it, he lowered his head down to her neck, sucking the sensitive skin covering her jugular vein, shuddering when he _tasted_ the sound of her moan forming deep inside her throat.

She forsook the need to be fully supported against the ground and lifted her right hand to grasp his hair and direct his head on the place where she immensely enjoyed his kissing ministrations. Her chest stuck out when his teeth grazed her collarbone, peppering kisses on his way across her body, leaving tiny teeth marks right above her breasts.

Then he looked up at her, rubbing his wet but drying hair across her chest up to her face and she let out a shaky breath when she saw the raw determination in his eyes. She could only imagine that such a fierce, starving look had always been hidden beneath the mask whenever he laid his eyes upon her and she regretted not seeing it because her opinions on him would have been different since the very beginning.

He reached for her hand in his hair and grasped her second arm in his tight grip, lifting both her arms in the air, his strength the only thing keeping her from letting her back fall on the ground. Nodding at her shortly, she let him lower her body down on the broad-leaved bedding, completely giving herself to him in a way that was unthinkable only a few moments ago.

The sight of her lying sprawled in front of him was a new favourite memory that burnt in the back of his mind. He couldn’t leave her beauty to go unappreciated, though, so his head followed her down in the swell of her breasts, kissing the goose bumped skin as he positioned her arms around her head. He didn’t want to immobilize her or anything, he desired to possess her and make her forever his and it didn’t seem she protested.

At least he had concluded so from the moan she elicited when their lips fused for one more time to hungrily drink from each other’s mouths. Another confirmation manifested a couple of seconds later as he allowed himself to sink down on her body, joining their bodies together in a perfect lovers’ embrace, supporting his weight partially on her hands because he was aware how tiny she looked in comparison with his massive form.

She actually _rolled_ her hips against his, emphasizing with a needy moan to show what she desired and her body jolted upon feeling his hardened manhood between their bodies. Since that moment, she incessantly demanded by any means possible she could carry out in her current position to cross the stupid imaginary line and finally get to the point of this whole make-out session.

“Rey...” He rasped when he released her lips to look into her eyes, tightening the grip on her hands to make her to stop moving.

Sensing his slight hesitation, she interrupted his train of thoughts with a wave of her emotions through the Force bond. And so he could _feel_ the almost painful tug inside her belly that spread through her whole body like the blood in her veins, making her wet just from the sheer thought of what they were heading to do. She craved him deep inside her and she refused to lower her sights.

In return, she received a very similar transmission of his feelings and had to laugh softly at his marginal fear of losing complete control. With a cheeky lick of her lips and a seductive bit on her bottom one, she showed him that she wanted nothing else but the very thing he feared – losing his control. She wanted him to go mad over her, with her until they would both be nothing but insane entities wholly devoted to each other.

Besides, she could sense that his arousal reached a point of no return as it became one of those he couldn’t just walk off. No amount of freezing-cold water or unpleasant thoughts could help him to get rid of the hardness of his cock than the most natural thing in the world. And whatever way he wished to choose to deal with it, she intended to be part of it since she was the one who had caused it.

He smiled at her with one of his rare but radiant smiles and lifted his body a little to allow her positioning her hips in the right place. Staring meaningfully into each other’s eyes, he lowered himself down on her, the tip of his manhood carefully parting her folds. She was indeed incredibly wet and it had nothing to do with recent bath underneath the waterfall, that was for certain.

It was very easy for him then to slip inside her smoothly, her heat welcoming him as if he was home. Her eyes widened and the upper part of her body rose up as she took him in, the first wave of pleasure surging through them like unstoppable beam of light. He profusely ignored the pain she was causing him when she dug her nails into his hands, completely bewitched by her facial expression full of delight.

She looked up at him lustfully, her hips slightly squirming to make him move. And he listened to her commands. The first couple of thrusts were guarded as if he wanted to be sure that she wasn’t fragile and he wouldn’t break her but as soon as he realized that she could withstand more than her petite form suggested, he lost all the remaining self-control that resided in him.

He was fierce in taking her roughly, almost aggressive in certain moments but she didn’t mind it whatsoever. She let him to stretch her arms completely above her head so he could support himself on them as his thrusts gained more vigour and strength. After all, her hips kept up with his rhythm, contributing to the profound bliss they were experiencing thanks to it.

Soon enough, he didn’t resist the lure that touching her body presented, releasing her hands and putting his own on her skin, caressing her to feed his hunger through his delicate fingers, as well. Their mouths fused again in an energetic kiss that involved a lot of biting and teeth clashing, thought-out assaults with tongue and just simple lips rubbing, leaving them swollen.

He was fucking her senseless, lacking any restraint as he unleashed the years of frustration, self-hatred, wrath, dissatisfaction and everything that his darkness comprised of, letting all these emotions to seep through this intimate connection and through the bond into her. And she accepted it, soothing the pain, replacing it with pleasure, affection and joy, embracing him in her light, restoring the balance.

A moan begging for more rang in his ears as he bit her collarbone while she wrapped her legs firmly around his hips to take him deeper. As soon as he accepted the duty to comply with the wishes of Rey, _his_ Rey, he felt lighter and more in peace with himself. She was the only thing he was living for now, for her and her pleasure he vowed to prolong and intensify as much as he could.

Ben Solo wasn’t completely lost to the darkness if he was able to throw all inhibitions in the air and to lose his mind over her. Rey felt strangely elevated by the fact, savouring the beautiful energy between them as her nails grazed his back, carving the marks of their erotic encounter into his skin to record their history. She had never felt so obsessive about something but it filled her with odd feeling of satisfaction.

Albeit surprised with her own boldness and lack of hesitation since the very first moment she had realized where things were heading between them, she felt no darkness claiming her. Her current actions were purely driven by her desires she had felt for quite some time. If those desires were by Force’s design, she didn’t know and she honestly didn’t care. Her moment for regret had passed a long time ago and she was completely devoted to the blissful pleasure deep within her.

And she hungered for more, for the unattainable. Not because she would be greedy or he wasn’t giving her enough. On the contrary, his strong, swift and deep thrusts stretched her inner walls delightfully just the way she liked it. But she dreaded that it would be soon over and she had become addicted to it. Losing even a particle of her current dose could cause a severe withdrawal.

Only intensification was her way how to extend the hope of lasting this whole act forever. A breaking point was necessary, she knew it but for now, she didn’t see that her lust overrode her logic because the heightening could lead only to one result and that was the end she so much wanted to avoid. No, she still demanded the impossible with moans, screams and pleas and he was too wrapped up in her to disappoint her.

Her hands freed themselves from his hair and she used the Force to roll them over so she could be on top. He was shocked at first but figured immediately that she wasn’t strong enough to change the position without a help of her powers. Her eyes shone in the sudden semi-darkness of the cave while she adjusted her legs around his hips that stopped moving due to his surprise.

He heard her growl in frustration, a sound that was close to some enraged animal as she drew her face nearer to his, her burning breaths setting his skin ablaze. “I didn’t tell you to stop.” She bared her teeth at him before sinking them in his neck to suck on his jugular vein.

Her ferocity worked like an aphrodisiac he didn’t need but it instantly resumed the bucking movement of his hips. She released a ragged, drawn-out moan, charmed by the new angle of their bodies and the way his throbbing manhood filled her in, grazing her teeth up his neck, across his chin before lewdly plunging her tongue into his mouth. His arms embraced her whole body as he learned to deepen his thrusts into her while kissing her until she saw nothing but blackness behind her closed eyelids.

For most of the time of their endless kissing session, she remained motionless and let him to do all the work, building the way to the necessary peak. But once she abandoned the warmth of his mouth, switching it for his wet skin on his neck and then his chest, graced by droplets of sweat, she engaged her hips, too. She sensed his sigh of pleasure deep within his chest with her tongue and laughed softly at the almost hopeless groan he let out.

The way their hips moved in perfect synchronization was a harmony, a carnal expression of flawless impeccability, a balance they restored together. Each thrust was accompanied by a delightful surge of bliss as she climbed his chest up to sit up, straddling him and for once being the one looming over him. To reinforce her position, she put her hands on his chest for support and increased the strength of her wavy hip motions.

He stared at her petite body towering over him riding his pulsing shaft in awe. She was no longer the frightened scavenger he had encountered on Takodana. No, she was _a woman_. A woman who knew very well what she wanted and needed and didn’t hesitate to take it. And he loved it, amazed by her maturity and her growth over the course of practically a few months they had known each other.

Once his fascination allowed him to see through the misty fog forming in his head, he pitched in with an innovation of his own. His large hands sneaked around her on her loins, travelling down her curved backside and then palming her halves possessively. She looked down at him and licked her lips seductively as he began to amplify the strength of their mutual thrusts by slamming her buttocks down whenever she was about to do so.

It took its toll in her thigh muscles and his own ass muscles but they couldn’t care less at the moment, their common sense completely clouded by the common goal of drawing as much pleasure as possible from their encounter. Sigh followed a sigh, moans bounced off the stony walls of the cave, drowning out the loud rumble of the waterfall, words begging for more, harder and faster passing between them shamelessly basically every second.

Either she was losing her strength, her energy depleted or her fingers were too hungry for his skin for she kept losing her balance because her hands couldn’t be still and she needed to touch him. And so he sat up without difficulty, changing the angle of their bodies for one more time, coaxing another lengthy moan out of her scrumptious lips he immediately caught between his as his hand sneaked on the nape of her neck to entrap her in place.

She hung on him, roaming her hand across his back up to his hair, kissing him fiercely to mimic the rapid and intense roll of their hips. Pool of scorching warmth was spreading across her belly and her sensitivity to his thrust was getting quite high. She was close, she could feel it but she still wanted more of this bliss, refusing to yield just yet. But not even slowing down could save her from the inevitable.

He could sense her fighting with reaching the pinnacle of her pleasure and not only through the Force bond. Her sighs, her trembling body as all the muscles screamed for release, her incessant rubbing against his skin as she struggled to maintain her control were enough of an evidence for him. And while he understood her motivation, he wasn’t far behind her, either.

Moving his mouth to her ear while she sank her teeth in his shoulder, he cradled her in his arms and caressed her hair. “I have you, Rey. You can let go.” He whispered to her hoarsely, his breathing rapid and short since she had robbed him off of his voice some time ago.

His words worked like magic, like some hypnotic command she waited for in order to cease the endless struggle. Her back arched, her arms scrambled around for a moment until she found her full support in his shoulders and her mouth formed a relaxed smile as she reached her orgasm, letting the warmth from her belly to spread through her whole body in blissful waves, darkening her vision.

Nothing could stop her from moving her hips, though, creating a mess in his head together with the drawled groan and the sudden surge of pleasure she shared with him through the Force bond. As much as he tried to last, he couldn’t and his hips bucked for the last time, sending him over the edge together with her, embracing her body for emotional and physical support.

Their individual climaxes clashed as opposed to their bodies that melted into each other, their hands and arms grasping one another, their breaths in perfect synchronization as they rode them off. Eventually, their bond was able to merge the separate seeds of delight into one spectacular moment of gratification that both left them dizzy, quivering and euphoric.

It was like if they suddenly existed outside the Force, the omnipresent power flowing around them to show that their blending together meant something more than pure expression of sexual desire between two Force users. As if the power itself begged them to harness it for the good of the Galaxy and the only way it could reach this state was to keep pushing them together until they would break just like they just had.

But as soon as the feeling appeared, it also dissipated, just like their orgasms came and left, leaving them sated but still hungry. Rey pulled away to look at Ben so she could read in his eyes whether he had felt the same out-of-the-body experience similar to hers and his short nod immediately confirmed it. For a moment, they stared at each other until she broke into a huge smile and he with her.

No longer tentative, she kissed him passionately, her skin extremely sensitive to his touch. He suffered from the same condition but he wasn’t certainly complaining – those short sparks of electricity penetrating his skin were actually quite nice. His back gave away but he directed his fall down to minimize the impact with the ground, taking her with him so she could comfortably sprawl on his chest.

And that is where she nestled for the next few silent minutes, just breathing and listening to his heartbeat. She untangled her legs from the no longer comfortable position and arranged them in a way she could easily lay next to him without cutting off her blood circle. And he just held her in his bear hug, trying to recuperate from the enormous physical expense he had just been subjected to.

Their thoughts were devoid of any regrets and doubts or questioning why they could lose their inhibitions so easily. They both knew what had happened between them and why, although it was way too soon to proceed to some emotional effusion. Their feelings were perfectly manifested during the sex they had just experienced and nothing more needed to be said.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, that was the smut ;) Hope you enjoyed it at least as much as I enjoyed writing it. From the next chapter, we’ll focus solely on rewriting TROS as I promised. Thanks for sticking with me!


	3. Revelations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some things get revealed - hence the title of the chapter :)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AVAILABLE ALSO ON Fanfiction.net
> 
> Thanks anyone who came to read the story and I hope you’ll enjoy the new chapter. We begin to unveil part of the secret. Enjoy the reading!

**_Episode IX: Victory of the Dyad_ **

**__ **

**_Chapter 3 – Revelations_ **

_PREVIOUSLY_

_Their thoughts were devoid of any regrets and doubts or questioning why they could lose their inhibitions so easily. They both knew what had happened between them and why, although it was way too soon to proceed to some emotional effusion. Their feelings were perfectly manifested during the sex they had just experienced and nothing more needed to be said._

But as Rey replayed the whole encounter in her mind from the very beginning to bookmark the highlights, she couldn’t stop herself from asking the question she shouldn’t have asked. “Why are you really here, Ben?” She uttered with a sigh level-headedly because she didn’t want to sound like a demanding interrogator.

What had happened between them wasn’t planned; it wasn’t any trap she was supposed to fall for. And since she was allowed to look into his mind, she was certain that his intentions here were chaste. She was just innocently curious what paths they had been walking until they had met by the waterfall, ready to offer her assistance in retrieving whatever he searched for on this planet.

However, Ben’s reaction wasn’t positive as she had hoped. He froze, his content smile fading away instantly and his Force trace growing cold as if he tried to distance himself from her. No anger laced his emotions, though, only disappointment and sadness because he realized that the beautiful bubble had just been irrevocably burst and he was forced to deal with the reality.

He looked up at her, giving her the opportunity to back down from her request and snuggle more but she returned him his stare with adamant and demanding expression. The confrontation would happen either way – sooner or later. And sooner worked for her because he was unarmed, relaxed and more open with her than he had ever been. Maybe she was taking advantage of his vulnerability but those were the rules of combat.

Biting the inner side of his cheek, he realized that she wouldn’t let this one go. However, telling her the truth behind his visit here was out of the question for her protection. Shaking his head gloomily, he avoided answering her by gently pushing her away from him. “It’s none of your business.” He stated quietly and stood up.

Before she could recover from the shock that he had given her the cold shoulder, he left the alcove, jumping into the water without devoting a second look in her direction. She scrambled to her feet, her muscles immediately protesting against any physical activity but her power of will was stronger. She split the cascading water of the waterfall with the Force just as he had done earlier and looked around.

She caught the sight of his muscular backside just as he was resurfacing from the water, climbing up the bank at the meadow. Not losing another second, she jumped into the water and quickly swam to the bank, as well. In that moment, she absolutely didn’t care that she was naked and in many places even bruised due to her sexual activities with Ben. All she wanted was to get some answers.

“Does it have something to do with the disturbance in the Force we all felt recently?” She questioned him once her foot touched the ground of the meadow. With relief, she observed that their belongings remained untouched.

Either he pretended he hadn’t heard her or he was blatantly ignoring her because he kept trying to squeeze into his trousers despite the difficulties due to his wet skin. Not a single word escaped his lips, not even a curse, although she could see that he was already losing his temper. The cloth finally yielded and he bent down to adjust it around his knees and ankles.

She approached him, reaching for his shoulder with a soothing hand. “I can help you, Ben.” She offered sincerely and didn’t flinch when he suddenly straightened up, catching her hand in the air.

“I don’t want your help.” He snapped at her, annoyed. He shoved her away, releasing her hand and lifting his T-shirt from the ground, pulling it over his head.

Bewildered Rey only managed to stand hopelessly and watch him, her arms crossed over her breasts as if she tried to protect her heart from more damage. The pain in her chest was enormous and while she couldn’t afford to analyze her feelings at the moment, she realized that she was already too deep in whatever she felt for him to handle his rejection with dignity.

He then looked at her and his gaze softened when he saw the hurt expression on her face. The last thing he wanted was to part as enemies; not after what had just happened between them, surpassing his greatest fantasies. But he had known her long enough to know that she wouldn’t be satisfied with the answer that the less she knew, the better. On the other hand, he couldn’t leave her like that, standing in front of him naked and hurt, either.

Extending his hand, he Force pulled his backpack from behind one of the trees nearby the meadow where he had been hiding earlier. Knowing she wouldn’t probably appreciate it but it was the only thing that resembled a towel or something, he took out his long black cape. Then, he wrapped it around her shoulders, covering her body. He had more of them in his ship, so he could easily gift this one to her.

“Look, there’s a threat, Rey.” He told her with a resigned sigh and her eyes widened with fear. Trying to provide some comfort to her, he rubbed the cloth of his cape over her shoulders, drying off her skin. “Threat to the First Order, threat to the Resistance. Threat to you and me. To everyone.”

So many additional questions ran through her mind to disperse the ambiguity but he didn’t allow her to ask them. Putting a shushing finger on her lips, he prevented her from talking. He lowered his eyes, pondering whether to reveal more or not but maybe it didn’t matter anyway. “And it’s coming because of me.” He eventually confessed, tightening the cape around her protectively.

_Did he somehow dabble in powers beyond reckoning, causing the disturbance in the Force and awakening something inherently evil?_ She felt the urge to ask that question to know more about the treat that he had apparently decided to fight against. The words got stuck in her throat, however, when she recalled his reaction to the disturbance. Her knees almost gave away as she considered what a sinister power that had to be when he had almost collapsed under the weight of its darkness.

“I have to deal with it on my own.” She heard him mutter as he bent down to pick up the black belt from the ground and clasped it around his trousers to secure them.

Her confusion deepened, her eyebrows furrowing. _Did it mean that he abandoned the First Order and was dealing with the threat without their help? Or did the ‘on my own’ also included the First Order? And if he abandoned them, who was now in charge? Or was it just some temporary arrangement and he would be back as Supreme Leader once the threat was dealt with?_

“I can still help you, Ben.” She insisted gently. If he had decided to deal with a threat to the whole Galaxy on his own, then he deserved to be offered an aid. Such an action was _good_ , not dark. It was a path towards redemption. “We can join our forces and defeat the threat together, especially if it’s a common enemy. Even the Resistance...”

“No!” He interrupted her with a dismissive wave of his hand in the air. “Our sides are still enemies, Rey. Don’t be foolish to think that they would _ever_ form an alliance against any kind of menace.”

His words sobered her up from the crazy fantasies about the Resistance and the First Order working together to stand against common enemy. There was too much hate, too much hurt, too strong distrusts and too many differences. They would have probably turned against each other before first shots had been fired, giving the third party the chance to destroy them both.

Still, she was convinced that helping Ben in his task was a reasonable thing to do because he didn’t need to do this alone. Even if he could be blamed for whatever threat was looming over their heads, he was trying to set it right. He was finally doing the right thing. It was the defining turning point she was waiting for in order to assist with his redemption.

“And I’m not going back to the Resistance.” He added resolutely, his eyes squinting at her in a silent threat. Then he bent down and put on his boots. “I can’t.”

His tone was weak with those last two words and she sniffed the chance to attack his vulnerable spot. She meant no harm, no brutal misuse of trust or anything. She only wanted to plead with him to be sensible and accept the offered help. “Your mother would have you back in a heartbeat.” She told him quietly and watched for signs of his reaction.

He froze, his eyes momentarily closing to detect the Force trace of his mother. There were times he had let himself to be swayed by childish and stupid fantasies what it would have been like if he had returned and asked her for forgiveness. And every single time he had been punished for that. He had no illusions whatsoever anymore, deeming his return impossible for many reasons.

“She still _loves_ you.” Rey added when he drew himself up, relentless in her persuasion. “She still _believes_ in you.”

Her hand reached towards his face to land on his cheek and to give it an affectionate caress. And he almost got carried away by her compassion, ready to accept her offer. But the dark resolve deep within him reminded him about his task and what it entailed, including keeping Rey away as far as he could. One day she might understand that he’d done it to protect her.

Catching her hand before she could touch him, he put it back down to her side. “That’s why she deserves someone better than me.” He dismissed his worthiness, his eyes turning sad.

She intended to protest, to apply stronger convincing and persuasion techniques but he beat her to it. Before she could even try to speak up, he lowered his gaze and looked around as if he wanted to etch the landscape into his mind forever. “It’s time for me to go.” He announced soberly, seeing his leaving as the only, relatively amicable option how to part without unnecessary pain or arguments.

He could steal her breath away in many other ways but his statement had knocked her breath out of her lungs for several long seconds. It was suffocating to think that their meeting could end like this – no real description of the impending threat, no concrete information about the disturbance in the Force, no way of knowing where his allegiances lied, whether they were still enemies or... _No knowledge about his genuine feelings for her..._

There was something warm in his gaze and she hoped that it could be the answer to her last thought. While she was aware of the importance of the other ones, she was still more interested about the answer for that. But maybe, it wasn’t needed to ask or to inquire. His eyes were telling more than enough, boring into her with affection she had hardly ever experienced.

His lips were moving but no words came out as he chewed on them to swallow their meaning. He wanted to voice them aloud but knew about the implications about the future and rather held them back. Hoping that his ardent gaze would provide her with enough information without breaching the Force bond, he allowed himself one last moment of vulnerability.

He kissed her, hurriedly and unceremoniously as he wanted to get this over with, but pouring enough of his feelings for her to make her understand. She gave in immediately, the desperation in her tiny moan palpable but he didn’t relent from his intent. In a way, they both knew that this kiss meant a goodbye for an indefinite period of time and so they were making the most out of it.

“Do not follow me.” He ordered her gently, whispering those words across her sweet lips he didn’t resist to taste for one more time to memorize their unique flavour before pulling away.

With that, he turned on his heel and walked away with the backpack on his back without even glancing at her. Not because he would be a heartless bastard but because looking at her would force him to turn around, run back to her and take her in his arms where he wanted to hide forever. But he was on a certain mission, one she had to stay away from for her own good and he was hell-bent on carrying it out.

She watched his retreating back, her bottom lip trembling as she fought the urge to start screaming and crying out of desperation, sadness and anger. Once more she contemplated igniting her lightsaber and challenging him to a duel but it wouldn’t be fair because she wasn’t really mad at him. She was just hurt that he didn’t confide to her about his mission and actively assumed negative attitude towards her involvement.

Her knees didn’t give away under the weight of her disappointment only thanks to the warmth their Force bond supplied her with. Eventually, she sank to the ground to sort out her thoughts, putting her head into her hands in a helpless gesture. She didn’t want him to leave and yet, she allowed him to do so. He was gone. She couldn’t even hear his steps anymore.

She had no way of knowing when and whether she would ever see him again. While she had learnt some vital information, she still didn’t know what they were all standing against, returning her back to the start. Well... maybe not completely to the point zero. She now knew and was absolutely certain of it, that Ben Solo still existed and currently plotted schemes for the good of the Galaxy.

Tightening the black cape around her shoulders, she involuntarily smelled the scent coming from the cloth until she realized that it was soaked with his musk. Sensational tingling ran across her skin as she let the cape to dry her off. It almost felt as if his own hands rubbed her, absorbing the droplets of water with his fingers and she couldn’t help but feel content.

Finally admitting to herself what had happened between them, her cheeks turned crimson and she smiled shyly as if she was standing in front of someone who scrutinized her. But she was alone so she could sigh longingly aloud and drift away to her memories in which his and her body moved in perfect harmony. All over again she thought back to the moments of their erotic encounter.

She hadn’t realized how much she actually wanted him until she had him. The burning desire, the scorching urge to deliver the pleasure and receive it in return – those feelings weren’t unfamiliar to her, not even in relation to him. Yet, the extent of her craving surprised her. She had never lost her head for anyone but one simple kiss and she had given herself to him in more than one way.

_Was it Force’s will?_ There was an undeniable pull between them, so powerful that it was hard to ignore it. While she knew a thing or two about attraction, she wasn’t exactly sure how and if the Force projected its will into it. _Could the Force ‘forge’ an attraction between them? Or could it just simply amplify it? Does the Force even have any influence on it?_

She groaned, her head becoming too heavy under the overanalyzing thoughts. Getting answers to them was a work for weeks, if not months of meticulous research. At least she had a plan what to do for the time being once she returned back to base. With a sigh, she slowly started to put her clothes back on, stuffing the black cape into her satchel once she had used it to dry her hair.

A longing look graced her face as she casted one last look in the direction of the waterfall, inhaling the specific scent of water. Then, she walked through the same route as earlier, returning to the village unhurriedly. For one more time she let herself to be enchanted by the green allure all around her, humming melodies of songs she had never known but suddenly heard them in her head.

The traders in the village had already been waiting for her, zealously informing her that the out-of-stock items were finally in-stock and she could load them onto her cargo ship. Their diligence seemed to be in contradiction with their previous behaviour but she didn’t question it. Nevertheless, she did have her suspicions that they had been visited by a certain man dressed all in black who interfered in her favour.

For the rest of the day, she occupied herself with rearranging things inside the cargo ship to balance it out so she wouldn’t have to deal with it an overload during the take-off. After she sent the message to the Resistance base that she was on her way back, she finally left the planet, knowing that Ben was long gone because she couldn’t feel him as strongly as she had before.

Now, she had a couple of hours to contemplate her next steps that revolved around one specific issue – to tell or not to tell Leia, to inform or not to inform the Resistance about her encounter with Ben. In an abridged form, of course. She had no intention to confess about such private matters to anyone because her sexual life was none of anyone’s business, even if she fucked with the half of the First Order.

By the time she arrived on the base in the cloaked ship, she was determined to talk to Leia first and then let her to decide whether the given information was worth to inform the rest of the Resistance. She was more qualified to make such decisions, after all – both as the uncrowned Leader of the Resistance and the Mother of Ben Solo. Rey was just a messenger, the soldier in Resistance’s ranks. _The Galaxy’s Last Jedi..._

She left the cargo ship in the care of the Resistance workers who dealt with the supplies on the daily basis and headed off to the Leia’s quarters, her stride gaining certain level of confidence. She needed it if she was supposed to blatantly lie in the face of the woman with whose son she had just slept with and tell her that nothing else but a simple conversation had happened between them.

Taking a deep breath, she knocked on the door loudly and patiently waited for the invitation. The door slid open and she went inside, her eyes widening in surprise and her lips curving into a smile when she saw Maz Kanata sitting behind a metal round table on a stool with a beverage of some kind in her hands. Leia stood by the window, observing the commotion outside the base.

“Ah, our Light in the Force.” Maz commented Rey’s arrival and adjusted her goggles slightly, smiling at her in return.

Leia turned around abruptly, almost tripping over her beautiful elegant robes as she darted towards Rey, embracing her tightly in relief. “Rey! I’m so glad you’re back.” She squeezed her so hardly that Rey gasped when her breath was knocked out of her lungs. “I was so worried when I received your message.”

The Jedi squinted her eyes at the General and freed herself out of her grip without looking like an ungrateful brat. “You didn’t need to worry about me. It was really just about waiting for another ship to arrive.” She assured the older woman, smiling up at her. “Mission accomplished.”

She heard the unmistakable creaking sound of the goggles Maz wore as the latter narrowed her lens at her. “Yet you came here to tell us something, right?” Maz suggested in the knowing tone of her voice that made Rey feel very transparent.

“Yes.” She breathed out, her face turning serious as she kept holding Leia’s gaze to let her know it was something deeply personal to the General.

Leia nodded in understanding and offered Rey a seat at the table, assuming her place across her. Maz slid down her chair, ready to leave them to discuss whatever matters needed to be talked through in privacy but both Rey and Leia asked her to stay. She climbed her chair back up, removing her goggles to watch both women during their talk with her own, not-overly-focused, eyes.

Rey remained silent despite the numerous speech rehearsals she had exercised on her way back to the base. It was still problematic for her to present the shortened version of her story without blushing. Not to mention that she still had no idea how to start while trying to prevent any hysterical reaction from her listeners. After all, she did encounter their enemy and slipped out of it unscathed.

“I met him.” She blurted out, eventually settling on treating the narration as some sort of a patch that needed to be ripped away quickly in order to minimize the pain. “ _Ben._ I met Ben.”

Maz remained stoically calm because Leia was capable of expressing emotions for them both. When the information dawned on her, her facial features puckered into an expression of shock. Then Rey saw in her that all too familiar struggle between Leia Organa, the General and Leia Organa, the Mother. And then suddenly, the older woman sobered up, determination and seriousness gracing her wrinkled, but likeable face.

“On that trade planet? What was he doing there?” She fired in Rey’s direction, maybe too harshly. “Did he hurt you? Does the First Order know what our position is?”

That was when Maz interfered, reaching for Leia’s hand and squeezing it warmly. “Leia, let Rey speak without bombarding her with questions.” She notified her dear friend about her rough attitude that was understandable since they were talking about her son but poor Rey crouched in the chair guiltily.

“I... I don’t think that First Order knows our position. I mean, he mentioned that he knew about Resistance’s base in the area but he assured me that he didn’t know where it was.” Rey clarified briefly at least the last question because she felt that it was the most important one. In any other case, the base needed to be relocated as soon as possible. “And I made sure I wasn’t followed.”

It sounded plausible but Leia made a mental note to reinforce the defences of the base nevertheless. “Did you two fight?” She asked Rey worriedly, noticing the red swollen scratch on her left bicep. “Do you need any medical attention?”

Rey stared at her for a moment, the imaginary bucket of freezing cold water pouring over her head. Inconspicuously, she tugged at her clothes to cover whatever love-bites, teeth marks or other scratches she could have on her skin to make them invisible. “N-no, n-nothing like that.” She denied any violent contact with her adversary, lowering her gaze to hide the blunt lie in her eyes. “We... Uhm... just _talked_.”

Refusing to meet with the gaze of both Maz and Leia, she missed the jerk of surprise that ran through the General’s body upon hearing the way she had uttered the last word. If she had been surprised earlier about her son’s unexpected presence on the trade planet, Leia was now completely paralyzed by the surprising insinuation in Rey’s voice. And then, she slowly smiled; her features relaxing.

“Fine.” She stated, clasping her hands on the table as she tried to make an eye contact with the young woman in front of her. “Why don’t you simply tell us what exactly happened?”

Rey risked looking up at her before nodding in acknowledgment, toying with her fingers nervously. But she obeyed and described in brief detail the arrival on the planet, explaining her decision to stay a while longer than she had intended. She didn’t conceal anything about her walk through the nature towards the waterfall, emphasizing that she hadn’t noticed anything out of ordinary.

Lying as little as possible was the only way for her to actually remember the version she was presenting to the General. However, she rather omitted the bathing part of the story, simply stating that she’d been sitting on the bank of the pool when she’d heard a rustle in the forest behind her. Upon her warning, Ben had emerged among the trees, ready for confrontation.

She then had to explain her inability to detect his Force trace earlier due to their Force bond being temporarily, but strongly sealed which was something Leia had no idea about. But at least it clarified why she hadn’t known about him following her to the waterfall. No fight had ensued as she had no reason to defend herself because he hadn’t showed any intention to assault her. The mentioned confrontation had been... purely verbal.

It was very hard for her to tell the next part of the story without thinking about the events that had actually happened on the planet, colouring her burning cheeks to a deep crimson shade. Replacing almost every verb with the word ‘talked’ with that stupid emphasis as if it was super important for everyone to understand that they hadn’t been doing anything else but _talking_ , she felt pretty embarrassed already. She could only pray that neither of the present women noticed it.

Either way, she managed to explain that after some _persuasion_ , he had shared with her the terrifying information about the impeding threat, bringing a third side with unknown motivations into this already explosive war. She had no further specific details to provide, though, because he had outright refused to tell her more and then had promptly left. She hadn’t followed him, rather choosing to complete her mission instead of embarking on a dangerous adventure.

“I know the information isn’t much useful but...” She attempted to apologize for the vague description of the looming threat over their heads but Maz interrupted her with a wave of her hand.

“Every information is useful, Rey.” Maz calmed her down with a knowing smile. “We might not know yet what we are standing against but at least we can be sure who _isn’t_ behind it.”

The young woman raved her eyes around the room for a while as if afraid to settle them on the General but eventually having no other choice. She understood that Maz had only wanted to cheer Leia up to support her in her belief that her son still could be saved from the Dark side. And she had no intention to claim that it was impossible because she believed it too, but she also couldn’t deny the certain shadow of a doubt.

“I wouldn’t be so sure.” She pointed out, gulping to get rid of the lump in her throat.

Leia’s face turned haggard for a moment, showing her increasing age and a life full of incessant worries before smoothing out again, replacing the exhaustion by a strong will to fight whatever she had to. Never a quitter, always a fighter. The strength she owned in her veins was one of the distinct features of her personality, proving that she was the right leader in her place.

“What do you mean?” She asked the young Jedi in a curious tone.

“Because he told me that the threat is coming _because of_ him.” Rey replied with a compassionate look in her eyes as if she wanted to apologize for her words. “I can’t tell if his contribution is direct or just coincidental but he _feels_ responsible.”

Whether it was good or bad news, Leia couldn’t decide. It either meant that her son had toyed with powers beyond his control or that some unknown dark power had chosen him to become its herald thanks to the legacy he had been born with. _Again._ Both options were horrible and brought nothing but doom and war, instigating fear in any living thing in the Galaxy.

“He was adamant that he would deal with it on his own.” Rey added quietly, watching as the older woman stood up from the table, her patience to just sit and listen disappearing into thin air. “He even refused my help I offered.”

Maz smiled at her in approval of her conduct but Leia didn’t say a single word. After several attempts resulting in halting her steps as if she had lost her way and not even any map could have helped her, she ended up on the very same place as earlier, watching the commotion outside from the window, deeply lost in her thoughts. Minutes passed in silence, once in a while interrupted by a slurping sound as Maz was finishing her drink while Rey kept staring on an invisible point in front her.

“Maz,” Leia suddenly turned around decisively, “could you please go gather everyone else? I wish to speak to them in half an hour.”

The pirate queen nodded in agreement and left the room with a sympathetic squeeze of Rey’s shoulder who remained in her spot, unmoving. She didn’t dare to because the General was technically her superior and she, as her subordinate, wasn’t dismissed unlike Maz. Her expectations about what would come next were manifold but she didn’t manage to defend against the astonishment riddling through her when Leia wordlessly turned back to keep looking out of the window.

The silence soon surpassed its tolerable level and Rey was sure it would render her deaf if it wasn’t for her urging inner monologues. At first, she pondered to offer some words of comfort to support Leia’s apparent process of letting the information to sink in. But the more she tried to find the right phrases, the more they all seemed hollow and wrong to her and so she kept her mouth sealed.

“Forgive me for asking...” the General addressed her distantly, her graceful hand gripping the rim of the window for support, “but how is he?”

And there it was, the scarce moment she allowed herself to be _the Mother_ in front of the eyes of someone else because deep inside, she had never forsaken that role. Her baby boy was still the most precious thing in the world to her and she had refused to give up on him. While her question could seem to be born out of weakness, it was actually quite the opposite. She had finally mustered enough courage to ask that question to Rey and for that, she needed all the strength she could dig up.

“I’d say he’s fine, considering the circumstances.” Rey answered without hesitation as if she had awaited similar conversation a long time ago. “And no need to ask for forgiveness. I’ve always wondered why you’ve never taken the occasion to find more about him when you know how _close_ we are.”

The knuckles of Leia’s hand turned white with the effort to keep gripping the window frame but then her hand slipped down. “You mean to me and to the Resistance much more than being some kind of a fountain of knowledge about my son, Rey.” She sighed deeply, her chest heaving up and down with potentially calming breaths.

She turned around and looked Rey in the eye to convince her about her sincerity. “The Force bond you have with him isn’t what defines your place within this organization.” She continued as she walked slowly back to the table with the Jedi behind it. “I would never forgive myself if you ever believed that.”

It was the practical part of the explanation, covering the other side of Leia’s apparent disinterest. She didn’t need to say it aloud for Rey to understand that the less Leia knew, the better. Having information of such emotional importance about her son within an easy reach meant she could become addicted to it and take whatever she wanted whenever she pleased. And _that_ certainly wasn’t right.

“I know.” Rey nodded in understanding since Leia only confirmed her guesses. “Be sure you’ve never made me feel that way.”

The General expressed her silent thanks with a charming smile, assuming her position at the table. For a moment, they kept staring at each other with the young woman until Leia squirmed in her chair, obviously nervous for some reason. It looked as if she wanted to say something but wasn’t sure how to exactly start although she had rehearsed it earlier – similarly to Rey before she had come here.

“I hope he was gentle with you.” Leia eventually addressed the red scratch on Rey’s biceps with a meaningful smirk.

There was no need for her to be a mother because all she needed to know was covered by her female instincts. None of Rey’s poor attempts to hide her erotic adventure with her son worked on the seasoned woman, seeing through the blatant lie as if it was nothing but a transparent sheet of paper. She didn’t say anything until now because she figured that it could be uncomfortable for Rey to discuss it in Maz’s presence.

Rey’s face turned into a ghastly pale colour but then her cheeks burnt with deep crimson shade as she blushed. “W-wha-at?” She stammered, her chest tightening with firm knots as she badly tried to hide her embarrassment, her fingers once again working on adjustment of her clothes as if it could help anything. “I-I don’t k-now wha-t you’re tal-king a-bout.”

She refused to come clean but she felt she had no other choice. Although she admitted that Leia was the only acceptable option, it wasn’t in her plan to reveal that much. Everything was still too raw. She hadn’t had enough space to process it and work out her feelings over it to feel comfortable enough to speak about it with someone without being judged or worse – punished for consorting with the enemy.

“I figured what ‘talked’ mean, Rey.” Leia explained briefly without further ado to lower the poor girl’s discomfiture. “Believe it or not, but me and Han had quite a ‘dancing around each other’ thing going on, you know? I recognize one when I see it. And I can also tell that it has taken its natural course.”

Rey cursed under her breath because she should have anticipated that covering her intimate relationship with Ben with the stupid word wouldn’t work. It was a naive thought that she could hide anything from the woman experienced in so many fields. The General simply read in her face and her body language like in an opened book without any need to probe her mind with the help of the Force.

“I swear it was an accident, I certainly didn’t mean to...” She rushed to defend herself, pausing when Leia meaningfully arched her eyebrow. Her rising panic didn’t allow her to discern the right meaning of that action, so she turned her defence into penitence. “I should feel ashamed.”

Lowering her head, she chose to study the metal surface of the table and wait meekly on the inevitable verdict. After all, one of the highest ranked members of the Resistance had just found out that she had gotten involved with the Supreme Leader of the First Order himself, their sworn adversary. She had failed as a Jedi and betrayed the trust of her friends within the Resistance. Her behaviour was inexcusable.

“You shouldn’t.” Leia dismissed her penitence with a careless wave of her hand.

It made Rey to look up and she was astonished to see a kind, almost motherly look in Leia’s face. Instead of anger and disappointment, the General emitted sympathy and hope. In that moment, the young woman understood that the legendary Princess had no intention to share her betrayal with anyone and was simply curious as mothers usually were, especially since the event in question concerned her own son and someone she had already considered to be her daughter.

“Acting on your feelings is one of the best things you can ever do in your life.” The older woman clarified, a dreamy smile settling in the corners of her mouth as she briefly reminisced about the time when her relationship with Han had finally turned fully romantic. “Assuming that you have feelings for him, of course.”

The Jedi wavered over the answer, biting her bottom lip in contemplation. Naturally, she had feelings for Ben – that was an undeniable fact. That physical attraction between them, the mutual desire for one another and the profound compassion weren’t product of indifference. She cared for his fate and his well-being just as he cared for hers. Those were genuine and pure feelings.

She trusted in their innocence because they couldn’t be born out of the Force bond. As far as she knew, Force bond was shared between Force-sensitives for centuries and as seen in siblings or Jedi and their padawans, it was a very strong connection that _reinforced_ the relationship between those two individuals but it didn’t have to reach such intensity and nature as hers with Ben.

While she understood Luke’s negative stance towards it as the bond could be easily manipulated by the dark side of the Force, she didn’t believe that it could forge feelings between the respective sides. If anything, the Force bond ‘fed’ itself on those feelings and amplified their strength, as well as its own. And that could only mean one thing – her feelings for Ben developed _without_ Force’s direct intervention and were completely sincere.

_But how deep those feelings were? Was it love or just momentary infatuation? Could she be ‘victim’ of her own desires? Or could she be in love with him in spite all his evil deeds? Was it why she insisted on helping him? Was it why she refused to give up on him?_ The only person she knew who still believed that he could be turned to the Light was Leia and Leia _did love_ him, albeit her love was of a different nature.

“There are so many things he has done I can’t ever forgive him.” She replied with an evasive answer to buy herself some time to dissect her feelings later in peace.

The General wasn’t fooled, though. All too well she understood the feeling of loving someone whose crimes were unforgivable in the eyes of the others, even her own. “Yet your heart wants him.” She stated knowingly, sharing the hardships of a mother of a mischievous son.

Rey took her words into consideration and focused solely on her feelings. Truth was that her heart started to pound erratically whenever she thought of him and it had nothing to do with fear. Such was her body reaction because she hadn’t been afraid of him for a long time. Instead, she was scared _for_ him and anything that might happen to him. It was a concern she reserved only for those she cared about like Finn, Rose or Poe.

“I suppose so.” She conceded, surprised by the sudden easing inside her chest. “I don’t honestly know what’s happening to me but I have never felt about anyone the way I feel about him.”

Leia regarded her for a moment as if she tried to read her thoughts, her _real_ thoughts. “It’s obviously something you still need to work on.” She then assessed after reading Rey as a woman, no Force sensitivity required for that kind of ability. “But I think you’re on the right path.”

Rey shrugged her shoulders sceptically, having the opposite feeling – the right path eluded her, remaining concealed until she would open herself up to all possibilities and she wasn’t ready to do so just yet. At least not until she had a clear idea about Ben’s feelings, ceasing the behaviour of an enigma incarnate. So whatever bloomed in her heart was about to stay locked up.

“And if you’re worried about the rightness of forgiving, then consider this – if I can forgive him, so can you.” Leia pointed out with a compassionate look in her eyes but in firm and decisive tone of a fighter she was.

“He has hurt me much more than anyone can even imagine.” She added right afterwards when Rey’s attention was unequivocally ensured. “But I also know that he isn’t entirely responsible for everything that has happened. We all made mistakes. Powers beyond our comprehension manipulated almost every single step we have taken.”

Rey _did_ understood, emphasizing it by soft nods of her head. She knew enough to be aware of what Ben had wanted and hadn’t wanted in his youth and how his Force sensitivity had affected those plans. She also knew that while he and Knights of Ren had been part of the First Order, they had been an individual group without direct influence over some of the executed decisions, making him guiltless when it came to certain war crimes. At least until he hadn’t become a Supreme leader, that is.

“It would mean _everything_ to me to have my boy back.” The General continued with a slight emotional tremor in her tone. “So much that it would be worth of all forgiveness.”

That was when Rey also understood that Leia didn’t lead the Resistance only to fight against the oppressive enemy but also to fight for her son. Only by the defeating him and subsequently granting him a pardon, she could convince him about him deserving his mother’s love and her deserving her son’s forgiveness for her wrong decisions in the past. A fateful redemption in its glory.

A new surge of determination was born of out of Leia’s words for her. She had let him go, she had let him to hide his true intentions away from her earlier. But no more. She would get to the root of his mysterious conduct even if she had to violate his mind for it. Whatever he had decided to stand against on his own was obviously too powerful to handle it alone. And she would help him whether he wanted it or not. For herself and for Leia.

**_The End of Chapter 3_ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I promise you will soon know more about the threat but for now, we will work only in the scope of hints and clues. All will be revealed gradually until the whole picture will be finally clear to you.
> 
> In the next chapter, you can expect Rey attempting to carry out her plan mentioned in the last paragraph of this chapter. And I hope I’ll see you there!


	4. Dark Vision

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Available also on Fanfiction.net

**_Episode IX: Victory of the Dyad_ **

**__ **

**_Chapter 4 – Dark Vision_ **

It was late evening by all standards Rey was aware of but it still felt like a middle of the night for her. Waiting for the door to close, she leaned against it when it slid back together, shielding her inside her quarters from the other people on the base. Her stomach rumbled, protesting against the lack of food intake but she had been used to live weeks, even months without a proper, hearty meal on Jakku so she simply ignored it.

Her eyes remained closed as she evened her breathing, shaking off the feeling of exhaustion. The speech Leia had given to the people on the base was concise and informative, yet it hadn’t prevented the flood of suspicious and curious looks in her direction, as well as inquiring questions. She had replied to all confidently with a smile but on the inside, she had felt anything but that.

For the rest of the day, she occupied herself with physical work like helping to unload the cargo she had brought and doing other mundane tasks. It had helped her to clear her mind and not to constantly think back to what had happened underneath the waterfall on the trade planet. She wished to analyze it in her free time within her personal space – in her quarters right now.

Blindly, she let the strap of the satchel to fall down her arm, clutching it in her hands and throwing it on her bed. Her staff followed and after a disappointed sigh, her freshly made lightsaber hilt out of the staff’s components landed on the bed, as well. She foolishly hoped that _someone_ would sit on the bed and catch it all but the thudding sounds as her belongings were hitting the mattress meant that she was alone in her room.

She opened her eyes, half-expecting _him_ to be there but considering that she hadn’t even felt anything Force-related, it was a void expectation. With a shake of her head at her own pathetic need to be hopeful, she approached the bed and placed the staff with the lightsaber hilt on their defined spots in her room. Thanks to that, she noticed the plate with a sandwich on her bedside table and she delightfully sank her teeth in it once she grabbed it.

Chewing and making a mental note to thank Leia that she look after her so much, she sat down on the bed and began to empty the contents of her satchel. Her fingers brushed against the fabric of the black cape she had stuffed inside with disinterest at first but when she realized _where_ and from _whom_ she had obtained it, she pulled it out rapidly as if she couldn’t wait to see it in all its glory.

It was still a little bit wet but she didn’t mind it, inhaling the familiar scent once more. It had transferred her back to the waterfall immediately and her cheeks flared up. With a mischievous smile, she stood up and threw the cape over her shoulders, twirling across her quarters to make it flow behind her. She laughed at herself and her silliness but she couldn’t help it – she was curious to know how it would fit her.

Pondering whether she would wear similar cape if she turned to the Dark side, she approached the floor-length mirror in the corner of her room. _Would she be loyal to her current fashion style, wearing T-shirt and three-quarter pants with a sash, belt and arm wraps but in black rendition, insinuating that she was a warrior on a war path she intended to win?_

_Or would she be more feminine, wearing a black dress and such a long black cape with a hood, looking more like a seductress, ready to lure any weaklings into her dark webs to conquer them and make them serve her by bending their will as she pleased? Or would it be a mix of both, maybe even something she hadn’t considered yet? What would hairstyle would be? Would she wear a mask, as well?_

As if she invited the Force vision inside her mind, her reflection in the mirror began to change. First, her complexion turned unhealthily pale, highlighting her cheekbones and hardening her gaze. It seemed as some sort of a makeup effect as her eyes were also suddenly more striking and her lips redder than before. She raised her hand to touch her face curiously but her transformation continued, stopping her hand mid-air.

Her hair became longer, reaching her chest in abundant waves with a half-up, half-down bun at the back. Dressed in a sleeveless black dress with a black sash around her waist and decent V-neck, she looked down on her frozen hand in the air to notice the black arm wraps. Her gaze was drawn back to her face in an instant after she had caught a glance of some movement behind her reflection.

Someone she didn’t clearly see but could tell was dressed in the similar clothes as she was, put the black cape around her shoulders. Then, the hood moved up on its own volition, covering her head. A cruel smile appeared on her bright red lips and her eyes turned into a red-rimmed yellow shade, so typical for Sith deeply immersed in the Dark side of the Force.

In that moment, she wanted nothing but to turn away from this dreadful vision of her Dark self and disperse the foolish fantasy. It was a mistake to imagine herself as someone she never wanted or aspired to be. But to her horror, she found out she was paralyzed, unable to move. Any kind of command to her limbs wasn’t obeyed. All she could was to analyze the growing fascination over what she saw in the mirror.

All of a sudden, the cloaked figure from earlier stepped in her view, materializing behind her back. If she didn’t know any better, she would swear it was Snoke, even if she couldn’t see his face. But considering the nature of this vision, the alternate possibility of her turning to the Dark side in the future, then Snoke couldn’t have any direct role in her betrayal. He was dead. And she had seen him being literally halved in two by his apprentice so it couldn’t be some work of deception.

Her guess was confirmed the moment the cloaked figure uttered the words _‘Fulfil your destiny’_ while placing his hideous fingers on her shoulders. The voice that sent chills down her spine from dread definitely wasn’t Snoke. It was far darker and more sinister than the former Supreme leader of the First Order could ever dream of. But whom it belonged to, she wasn’t sure.

She didn’t have a chance to find out, anyway, because the dark figure behind her suddenly pushed her forward and the view of the vision shifted. She and... Dark Rey separated as two individual beings. While it could seem as a relief, the change sucked the real Rey into the petrifying environment of her dark self, making the reflection in the mirror disappear.

Dark Rey swiftly balanced out the unexpected push with a circle movement, letting the cape and the dress flowing at her feet. Facing the real Rey, she reached to her waist with a cunning smile and the Jedi noticed the flash of steel in the next second. The hilt – or double hilt was better to say – was unlike anything Rey had ever seen. It looked like two lightsabers next to each other, yet it was undoubtedly one piece.

After an almost hungry touch of the switch, the double lightsaber ignited and the face of Dark Rey was ominously illuminated by bright red colour. With a simple movement, she connected the two hilts through a hinge to a staff lightsaber, fencing with it in the air until she assumed a warlike stance. The staff threateningly pointed at Rey, she waited for her opponent’s reaction.

But none came because Rey still couldn’t bring her body to move, not to mention she didn’t have any weapon to defend herself with. With all her powers she willed for the vision to end but achieved no effect. Instead, Dark Rey bared her teeth at her menacingly, growling at her. For someone so abominable, her teeth were humanly normal, not beastly as one would expect and that made her dark version look even more frightening than before.

Despite the obvious differences in makeup, hairstyle, fashion, eye and lightsaber colour, the real Rey and Dark Rey actually looked pretty much alike. All the moves, stances, combat skills... They were the very same. She had expected that she would have been more monstrous, someone she would have never recognized. Instead, it was just a simple reflection of herself in a different shade.

She finally forced her body to move with a jump when Dark Rey charged at her with the lightsaber staff in her hands. It caused the vision to shift once more, this time making real Rey a silent observant of the unfolding events. Her dark self was standing on the bridge of some war spaceship, surrounded by stormtroopers in red and black armour who patiently waited on her orders.

Dark Rey evidently commanded a Sith fleet of spaceships, looking out of the window to assess the strength of her adversary. Pursing her lips into a villainous smile, she turned towards the troopers and announced her strategy for destroying the enemy’s fleet. Rey could only stare out to the space with her, watching the united forces of Resistance in front of them. The realization that she would be behind Resistance’s demise if she turned dark hit her like a ton of bricks.

As the Sith fleet launched the lethal assault, a large figure dressed in black with a mask stepped onto the bridge. Rey’s breath hitched in her throat when Kylo Ren nonchalantly passed by her and headed towards her dark version, _embracing_ her waist possessively. Dark Rey turned to him, licking her lips hungrily and while the space massacre continued, she and Kylo Ren were trying to kiss their brains out.

Horror-stricken Rey sank on her knees, hiding her head between her hands. With all her strength, she willed the vision to end and free herself of this contemptible variation of potential future she vowed to prevent at all costs. She wished she had never had that unwise idea to visualize her dark path because it brought the worst in her, resulting in self-loathing and fear that it could become real one day.

But her suffering seemed to have no chance for termination. When she lifted her head to look up, she found out that she and Dark Rey had become one and she could see through her eyes and feel the same emotions like her. And so she was flooded with a feeling of perverted triumph and twisted delight over other’s misfortune, the dark power coursing her veins as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

She was sitting on a spacious dark throne with spikes around it, giving the throne the hallmark of monumentality. Kylo Ren sat next to her, currently lifting her hand to press his lips to her fingers, murmuring about someone approaching. When she looked up, her lips parted on their own volition in a repugnant excitement, watching the Knights of Ren bringing in the captives captured after the victorious battle.

At least it felt repugnant to her because Dark Rey seemed to be eager to proceed with the next course of action. Her body trembled with hate and hostility when the Knights tripped the legs of the captives – General of the Resistance Leia Organa and the Stormtrooper traitor Finn – forcing them down on the ground before their defeaters. The Knights themselves then kneeled in front of their sovereign rulers.

Dark Rey and Kylo were deaf to the pleas and insults from the broken pair before them, despite the obvious reason why those two were kept alive. They only shared an understanding look full of chilling excitement, joining their hands together to emphasize their dark union. Then, they ordered mercilessly the execution of the captives, observing the whole gory event with unbridled zeal.

The real Rey had enough, screaming her lungs out with disgust and fright but she could never make herself heard over the terrible slashing sounds, followed by grunts of pain and she could never unseen the pools of blood in which the dead bodies of Leia and Finn bathed. She screamed louder and louder, tears streaming down her face like two endless rivers but the only thing she could hear was the evil laughter coming from Kylo and her dark version.

“Rey!” She heard the intensive shout in her head, bearing her name but she couldn’t detect its origin. Someone grasped her arms and she fought the intruder off at once.

“Rey!” The shout was clearer and louder, the grip on her arms was tighter and her body was shaking. It took her a while to realize that someone fiercely rattled with her in order to pull her out of whatever vision she was lost in.

This time, she let the intruder to drag her back to reality, seeking a salvation in the strong hands around her biceps. Her eyes finally opened and after a few blinks, she set them on Kylo who was standing in front of her without his mask on. Overruled by her instincts, she immediately pushed him away from her in a fit of distrust and confusion. After what she had just witnessed, she couldn’t be sure about anything.

But gone were the dark environment and her horrific vision. Assessing quickly with roving eyes her surroundings, she realizes she was back in her quarters standing in front of the mirror. The black cape she had paraded in so childishly a couple of moments earlier now lay at her feet. Her reflection showed nothing of the potential darkness, mirroring her usual look and clothes.

He pronounced her name once again, now sounding extremely worried about her state. Waiting for her reaction with anticipation, he believed that she was capable of discerning the reality from the vision, albeit his presence on the Resistance base wasn’t real but a product of their Force bond. That was why he was currently sending the same vibes through it, empowering her rising calmness.

When she finally pulled herself together enough to be sure that she _was_ back for real and the man in her room was _her_ Ben, she let out a deep sigh of relief. Then, she looked at him and wanted nothing but to kiss his concerned face. While she could blame him for inserting this dark vision into her mind, she saw him more like a hero who had prevented her from going completely insane.

Without shame, she approached him and wrapped her arms around his middle, relishing the beautiful and warm closeness of his body, albeit basically virtual because only thanks to the Force bond she could be so close to him. Her head found a shelter in the crook of his neck as he raised his hands to embrace her but hesitated to do so. He didn’t expect her to snuggle to him and seek comfort but it didn’t mean he couldn’t get used to it.

Then some breaking point inside her was reached and she collapsed. Her hopeless sobs and her hot tears were real this time, not imagined inside a vision, dampening his black T-shirt while she tightened her arms around him out of pure desperation for some fervent consolation. He wasn’t heartless enough not to provide it so he did hug her in return, allowing her to hide from the outside world in his arms.

He didn’t mean to come visit her, rather choosing to keep the distance between them in order to protect his mission from revelation. She could be quite tenacious at times and after that had happened between them by the waterfall; he wasn’t sure how resilient he was against her temptations. But after he had sensed the dark powers gathering around her and penetrating every fibre of her being, he had rushed to initiate the communication channel between them with everything he had.

It had been useless to wait until he would have been pulled into her environment. She had been in too much pain and immersed completely in darkness of unknown origin. If he had wanted to stop it, he would have had to act on his own and so he damn did and to his surprise, it worked. Hopefully, he hadn’t come too late and she would be okay. So far, it seemed that his presence was welcomed despite the initial repulsion.

It was his mother who had taught him about compassion but he had learnt most of the things he knew about providing comfort from Rey. To soothe her, he simply considered what she would have done in his place and went with it. The up-and-down movements of his hands across her back could seem repetitive but it worked miracles, just like the feathery kisses of the top of her head.

A couple of reassuring words, as cliché as they sounded were also very effective. At the beginning, he felt incredibly awkward but as the minutes passed, he realized he liked it. In a few moments, she calmed down enough to stop sobbing and crying, evening her breathing back to the normal pulse frequency. It even looked that she would be capable of talking about her experience, however unpleasant it had been.

“Tell me what happened.” He murmured into her hair that still smelled of water as if freshly washed.

A ragged, shaky breath escaped her lips but she nodded softly in agreement. Bottling up the vision wouldn’t solve anything and he was probably the only person she could declare as safe to talk about the allurements of the Dark side. Not concealing a single detail or her true feelings, she revealed to him what had happened in a shortened, yet still dreadful version.

To his credit, he didn’t even move a muscle when he heard the all too familiar vision, hiding the fact that he had already seen the scenes she was describing. His gaze turned down on the ground to look on the black cape and his understanding was imminent. What she had experienced wasn’t a Force vision, but a Force echo obtained through the black cape that belonged to him.

Unbeknown to her, she had used a psychometry by touching the piece of clothing and witnessed one of his frequent nightmares he was recently plagued with. No wonder it had shaken her to the core, not to mention that he suspected the Force bond between them from intensifying her experience of the echo on barely endurable level. He could speak of a miracle that she had ‘escaped’ unscathed without any health-threatening after-effects like seizures.

“I know I shouldn’t have fantasized about anything like it in the first place but...” She sniffed into his chest, wiping the rest of the tears away from her face with the back of her hand. “It was so strange. I couldn’t break free, no matter how hard I tried. As if something wanted to imprison me inside the vision so I would be forced to face my inevitable future.”

He nodded in understanding but refrained from telling her about the differences between Force vision and Force echo. It was already quite difficult for her to deal with the theoretically possible living nightmare and revelation about such power could do more harm than good. “Don’t worry. I won’t let anything of that happen.” He murmured to her instead, weaving his way through her hair.

Although still shaken and in need of such a nice comfort, his words stunned her. They contradicted his previous claims in which he actually _persuaded_ her to join the Dark side. She pulled away and looked at him with curious eyes. “I thought that you wanted me to become dark. You told me that when the moment came, I’d be the one to turn, that I’d stand with _you_.” She pointed out.

Under no circumstances she wanted to accuse him of playing games with her to confuse her. But his vow was indeed odd considering his earlier statements. _Has his care for her convinced him that her Light shouldn’t be tainted?_ It agitated her that she suddenly had no notion about his agenda. Technically, he _still was_ her enemy. And she couldn’t tell what to expect of him and _that_ was unsettling.

He understood her puzzlement and indeed, he had said such words to her. That was undeniable. But that was before he had found out certain truths about his life and who had been the master manipulator hiding in the shadows all this time. It was before he had become aware how many lies had been planted into his mind since his childhood, foisting such beliefs on him.

Only then he had realized that Rey turning dark would mean an eternal doom for everyone in the Galaxy, including the First Order and, to a certain extent, him. Her Light needed to be protected. He took it as his personal goal to prevent it from ever happening, coming after the looming threat all by himself. He risked more than he wanted and it could cost his life but saving hers indefinitely was worth it.

And that was also why he had to keep it secret from her, otherwise she would insist on helping him and he needed her to stay away as far as possible. “I... misinterpreted some things.” He offered a meaningless explanation but he wouldn’t budge to reveal more.

The sideway drop of his eyes was telling enough for her to know that he didn’t say the whole truth. She didn’t like his secrecy at all and wondered about a reason for it. After everything they had been through, he didn’t need to be afraid of coming forward to apologize for his wrong assumption that she should join the Dark side. She wouldn’t mock him and hopefully, he knew that.

But his statement was simply fishy and while it could seem that his attempt to shroud the mystery kept the secret hidden, simultaneously it was very revealing. He was recently so tight-lipped only about one thing and that was the big threat he had admitted but refused to disclose more, let alone allowed her to aid him. _Were this threat and her potential betrayal of the Light for the Dark connected?_

“Why don’t you tell me what’s going on here, Ben?” She practically begged with pleading eyes, pressing her hand on his cheek to make him look at her.

He did and bit the side of his cheek to prevent himself from talking. “I can’t.” He brushed her off regretfully, stepping away from her.

So she _had been_ right. The theoretical threat of heeding the call by the Dark side by her and the threat emerging from the Force disturbance a month ago _were_ connected. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have recoiled so quickly and coldly because she hadn’t closed her mind from him. He knew very well what she had been thinking about, drawing the picture inside her head. And he hadn’t dismissed it.

Cursing under her breath silently, she turned around to observe as he assumed his usual place on her bed, considering it as some corner of comfort thanks to the numberless Force bond connections between them. He looked stand-offish but not willingly. As if he wanted to pour his heart out to her but for some reason, he couldn’t. She had seen this expression on his face before so it was easy to recognize it.

She needed to know more to confirm her suspicions and come to the right conclusion. Albeit being almost sure, she was still in doubts because she lacked the logic behind his behaviour. She didn’t have the simplest idea _how_ those two things could be connected and _what_ he could know about it. And above all, _where_ he was heading with it? Deeper to the Dark? Or back to the Light?

He was the one holding all the answers to her questions but extract them was near impossible. His defence matched a fortified fortress and it was very hard to find a single ‘weapon’ that could inflict a mere crack. However, a certain idea flashed through her mind and she stuck her thumb into her mouth, sinking her teeth into her nail in contemplation. _Was it too much?_

“I told you mother.” She announced, seemingly indifferently as she had just wanted him to be up to speed with what was happening in other aspects of her life. “That we’ve met.”

It was a poor strategy to make him talk and resolve the stalemate they had found themselves in. She had regretted it the moment she said it. Taking such blunt advantage of his weak spot was no way of a Jedi and her attempt for ‘manipulation’ wasn’t even subtle. It was based on his earlier reaction by the waterfall when she had sensed that he was ready to accept her help after she had mentioned Leia.

But such a moment of hesitation wasn’t about to happen now for sure, judging by the weary sigh coming out of his lips. He raked his hair, momentarily captivating her with the graceful ruffling of his locks, invoking an endless hunger in her navel she barely managed to fight off. “Do you expect me to melt and yield whenever you mention my mother?” He asked her, looking at her pensively with slight amusement in his eyes.

Her cheeks turned red with embarrassment as she poorly hid her shame with a lowering of her head. “Is it working?” She asked, studying the black cape on the floor before kneeling to pick it up.

“No.” He replied neutrally, catching the cape when she threw it at him. To be honest, he expected her to report their meeting short of the spicy details so it was no surprise to him. He would have done the same in her place.

Looking around her room with a bottom lip between her teeth as if some secret for a successful strategy was hiding in a corner she hadn’t discovered yet, she pondered what to do next. She didn’t want to pester him because she knew very well that the more she would importune him to give her the answers he refused to share, the more he would be less talkative, eventually completely drawing back.

Meanwhile, Ben inspected the cape in his hands, reflecting on the danger it represented in addition with their Force bond. It reminded him what he had intended to do as a last resort if a problem occurred before he had scurried to aid her and dispel the dark powers swirling around her. And as he could see, it had already become a difficulty and the more he became convinced to do it.

Besides, he could see that her intelligence couldn’t be fooled. She had started to connect the dots between the seemingly individual and non-related events and _that_ was problematic. She _had to_ stay away and if she didn’t, then she needed to be stalled as long as it was possible. He was fully aware that most of the information she had at her disposal had come from him and that was why his determination grew.

A significant part of him argued with his reasonable mind, making up all sorts of excuses to avoid the separation. To be able to see her on the long distance and talk to her, not to mention to occasionally touch her meant everything to him. It kept him going, reminding him what was important. But there was no way around it anymore, not a single loophole because the Force bond couldn’t be bent to his will.

So, in order to minimize the impact of potential Force echo experience and stop jeopardizing his mission, he had to close the bond again and even more firmly than earlier. His preference was to do it when he was alone because it reduced her defiance. On the other hand, she was standing right opposite of him and it seemed unfair not to warn her in advance. Each closure they had carried out felt as if part of them was ripped out and was replaced by endless feeling of emptiness. She deserved to be prepared for that.

“Since I’m here,” he began carefully because he wasn’t sure about her reaction, folding the cape neatly as he spoke, “I think you should know that I’m going to close the bond again.”

Her eyes kept roaming around the room while the rest of her body froze. _He seriously couldn’t consider taking away the only possible way for them to communicate, could he?_ She needed that channel to be accessible. While her enthusiasm about the Force bond had been minimal in its beginnings, she had accustomed to it over the time and especially after what had happened between them by the waterfall, she couldn’t even imagine not being able to sense him.

The need to _feel_ him near her albeit he could be millions light years away from her was overwhelming. And if not for own feelings, she needed him to be close so she would know how was he doing in his conquest. _How else she was supposed to crack the mystery of what his mission was? How else she could be sure that he was alright, still alive and not in need of saving from certain death?_ He was an invaluable source of information, although she hadn’t passed much of it for the benefit of the Resistance.

She caught his apologetic, almost pleading look in his face and in that moment, she realized that he had the intention to do it anyway but without telling her. He had informed her only because he took pity on her and while it could seem honourable and definitely impressive when it came to him, it pissed her off. He had intended to hurt her, in spite of their romantic encounter, by depriving her of the chance to communicate with him without her knowledge.

“Oh, how generous of you to give me a notice!” She snapped angrily, the sarcasm dripping from the tone of her voice like poisonous venom.

_Oh._ _So she was angry._ It was a pleasing discovery, yet he couldn’t abandon his intention. Protecting her took a priority over his selfish need to have her close. Maybe not in the past but it definitely applied now. “Rey...” He tried to speak to her in a conciliatory manner, knowing that any kind of aggression could increase hers.

But she didn’t intent to let go of her anger easily. “Really, Ben? Do you expect me to stand idly by and do nothing?” She questioned him sternly, not giving him a chance to tell her anything. “I want to know what’s happening to you!”

It wasn’t her outburst that silenced him but the flood of ardent desperation and concern she sent his way through the bond, albeit unwittingly. She deeply cared for him and his impression by her tenacity was paralyzing. Not even once she accused him of plotting something evil, believing in his pure and good intentions. No one but her trusted in him and his redemption efforts so much and it was astonishing.

“Yes.” He confirmed calmly, nevertheless. Her faith in him only amplified his determination. “That’s exactly what I expect you to do.”

_How could he even consider that she would leave anyone behind, not caring about his fate? How could he even think that she would just erase her feelings she had for those she cared for?_ She had been struggling with abandonment and loneliness for her whole life. She vowed not doing the same to anyone. That was why she hadn’t accepted his hand he had offered to her nearly year ago. She wouldn’t have abandoned the Resistance in exchange for a fresh start and she didn’t.

And for the same reason, she wasn’t about to give up on him. He was now more humble, learning his lesson that he couldn’t bend the Force to his will and decided to be more Ben Solo than Kylo Ren. If anything, he was supposed to be more understanding when it came to her after-battle motivations in the throne room. The fact that he apparently wasn’t wounded her greatly.

“Then you don’t know me at all.” She stated sadly, trying to sound soberly but her heartache projected into her tone despite her best efforts.

The statement offended him and if she had been in a mood for jest, she would have given it a laugh. The contrast between his pique now and his indifference any other time when she had spewed hurtful words in his direction was amusing. Either way, she took a protective step back when he rose from the bed and straightened his imposing figure up, his eyes flaring.

“I beg to differ.” He practically snarled leaning over her menacingly, although he didn’t intend to threaten her. “I am actually _the only one_ who really knows you.”

He didn’t want to sever the connection between them, albeit temporarily, because he wanted to but because he _needed to_. He _knew_ her. He knew that she wouldn’t sit idly and twiddle her thumbs without undertaking any action. But the more he was near her, the more he let his guard down and slipped some information here and there, giving her an unintentional head start. It had to stop because she needed to be kept away as far as possible from the threat for her own good.

She said nothing to counter his claim because deep down she was aware of the truth right in her face. He didn’t only _know_ her; he _understood_ her because they had too much in common. She couldn’t take one exception and turn it into a cause of his ignorance. It could never outweigh the basic mutual understanding between them enhanced by the Force bond during which they could sense and feel the emotions and thoughts of one another.

_Loneliness. Not having the real sense of belonging despite being part of something bigger than them, something meaningful and purposeful. Neither have the feeling they really ‘fit in’ although they want to, but not at all costs._

_Abandonment. Their hopes about dreamt-of future shattered in a matter of second. Disillusion about their respective families drowning them in hopelessness as one was never coming back and the other one simply decided that untamed power needed to be contained._

_Struggle for survival. Undergoing a harsh training in exceptionally brutal conditions in order to adapt to the new world around them. It strengthened them, yes, but it also changed them irreversibly, no matter if for better or worse. It made them to be strictly individualistic and less trustful._

_Force sensitivity. Struggle with the raw, untamed power that is both a blessing and a curse. Some admire them for it; some people fear them for control and sense such a power commands respect but causes consternation._

_Desire to succeed. Set of expectations of the others due to their rare abilities binds them. But they want to accomplish unparalleled achievements in their own way, under their terms and it’s apparently not desirable._

_Exasperation. Everyone claims that they know them but it is never the case because it isn’t possible to comprehend their problematic personalities. Only they know themselves and each other because they share the same struggles and are capable of corresponding empathy._

_Damn him_. He did know her so her denial would be futile. But she did also know him and which buttons she should press wasn’t hard to figure out. “Do you want to know why I care?” She asked him instead of a pointless dispute that would lead them nowhere. He relaxed his posture but didn’t move an inch.

“I know that we are standing on opposite sides of a conflict. You are the Supreme leader of the First Order and I am the last Jedi fighting for the Resistance. We are natural enemies.” She started talking without waiting for his approval since she had been met with silence only. “But there is a connection between us that goes beyond that conflict. The same can be apparently said about the threat you mentioned that puts you and me, _our_ sides of the conflict and the whole fate of the Galaxy in danger.”

His defences were solid and strong but she didn’t aim for their collapse. She needed a cranny and judging by his gentle look and bite of his bottom lip, she succeeded in her endeavour. It was obvious that whatever he knew was suffocating him and he wished to confide with it. Desperately resisting the urge, however, was his only way how to get through until it was all over.

“That’s why I care. That’s why I want to know.” She stood her ground, confidently explaining her unrelenting curiosity. “So tell me – why do you want to keep me in the dark? Why don’t you let me help you?”

He had always been taller than her but whenever she spoke to him like that; he felt his height shrinking. She’d gotten under his skin and she didn’t need any special power for doing so. Embedded in his heart, in his mind and in his soul, she could shred him to pieces and he would thank her for that. And she was so close achieving that, piercing him with her gaze to force his walls to crumble.

Almost drowning in her green-brownish eyes, he gathered the last remnants of his willpower and broke the eye contact, his gaze landing on the mirror in her quarters. “Because the vision you saw might come true if I tell you.” He blurted out pensively before he could stop himself.

Her breath got caught inside her throat and she almost coughed in order to clear the way for the oxygen into her brain. But even with appropriate oxygen supply, she couldn’t ever handle the weight of the realization and confirmation of her guesses as they dawned on her. The vision she had seen was no accident. It was all linked – the dark vision, the approaching threat, his secret mission – they were linked.

_But how are they connected? How does the evil threat intend to turn her to the Dark side? What is supposed to be the driving force to make her to become the dark reflection she saw in the mirror? And who stands behind the threat? Is it the same cloaked figure she saw in her vision? Why this particular timing? Why she saw the horrific and potential future now, right after she acted on her feelings for Ben?_

_And speaking of him, what is the object and intent of his mission? What is his involvement?_ So far, it seemed that he worked _against_ it, not in its favour. Whatever he was after, whatever his intentions were, he did it also for her. _But... Didn’t he say that the threat was coming because of him? Isn’t that contradictory?_ She looked up at him to find him staring uncertainly back at her.

_What did you do, Ben? Have you awoken something infinitely evil in order to bend the Force to your will and it turned against you? Is it threatening to turn me to the Dark side, making you to realize your mistake because it represents a future you don’t want and now you are trying to... what exactly? Protect me? That’s why you are so adamant on withholding information from me and refusing my help?_

He reached his hand towards her face instead of an answer but she dodged it instinctively, still flabbergasted by the implications of her inner monologue he listened to. She could understand that he was trying to keep her away so he wouldn’t reveal too much but when she linked through all his previous statements, it now seemed that he had embarked on some dangerous voyage to _save_ her.

_What in the hell is that supposed to mean? Are his feelings for her that serious, that strong as he apparently is ready to risk his life for her salvation? Since when he is putting her needs, her importance over his? When did this change happen?_ She wanted him to turn back to the Light and forsake his past life, yes, but such a turnaround was completely unexpected and surprising.

His hand attempted to touch her face again and this time, she let him, seeking comfort in the warm caresses of her cheek. Their eyes locked for a brief moment before he bent down and kissed her softly and cautiously as if he wanted to be sure that she wouldn’t push him away. When she didn’t and sighed in anticipation for more, he deepened the kiss immediately.

They fused together naturally as if kissing was a common activity between them. His hand moved beneath her chin, tipping her head upwards to access the best angle so he could gently massage her tongue with his own. She responded with a sweet moan, her fingers wrapping around his muscular biceps for support as she melted into his body. Her mind blanked and for now, she was grateful for the end of the thoughts supply.

“I don’t want to do it, trust me.” He assured her when he released her lips, leaning his forehead against her as his finger traced her bottom lip hungrily. “To feel you, to sense you, to know that you are _there_ makes me...”

He didn’t finish the sentence, too afraid to voice his feelings aloud as it would surely only complicate things. Their eyes met and she nodded in understanding after a long second she used to analyze his vibes through the Force bond. Pressing her hand on his chest over his heart, she listened to the erratic, yet regular heartbeat and realized she didn’t need to hear the words for the time being.

“I’m sorry.” He apologized promptly to show his genuine regret, seeking her sympathy deep inside her gorgeous hazel eyes.

She sighed sadly, gulping down the ugly words forming inside her throat because she didn’t wish to say them aloud. “You damn should be.” She replied instead, her eyes lowering to her hand over his heart. “And I hope you realize that it won’t stop me.”

He accepted her words with a bittersweet smile, reaching for her hand before lifting it up to his lips. “I know. That’s exactly why I’m doing it.” He remarked to show that he indeed _knew_ her, whether she wanted it or not. “You won’t learn anything more from me.”

The way he said it – the nonchalant, respectful way with a hint of regret – was telling enough. He wasn’t fond of the duty he had decided to carry out but deemed it necessary and unavoidable. Quivering, she watched as his lips hovered over the knuckles of her hand and when he softly brushed them, she took one last look into his broody eyes. In the next second he was gone, leaving only feeling of emptiness behind him.

Her legs barely managed to carry her across the room as she sank herself into the bed, trying not to wail as the bottomless pit inside her deepened accompanied by the sounds of shutting doors, sliding bars and rattling chains. He _really_ was making sure that the bond was firmly closed so it wouldn’t open because of a simple emotional fluctuation. It felt _so cold_ and she shivered as the goose bumps appeared on her skin.

Turning on her side, she drew her knees up, embracing them tightly to form a ball out of her body. She didn’t feel any physical pain but it still felt as if part of her was ripped away, as if something absolutely essential was missing. With a gulp, she tried to hold back the tears gathering behind her closed eyelids but she eventually let the hot water stream down her face.

However, she refused to sob, turning her misery into anger instead. Even though letting the anger to consume her wasn’t the Jedi way, she didn’t care. Her suffering had nothing to do with her being a Jedi but with being a woman having complicated feelings for a man. A man she wasn’t supposed to care for so much but she did nevertheless. She was a mess and it was _his_ fault.

For all she knew he could be playing her like a fiddle, fooling her into believing that he was actually doing something good. Instead, he could be plotting something sinister behind her back, laughing at her stupid desperation to help him to achieve redemption. _Then why she had the feeling that she should trust him?_ Albeit immersed in the Dark side, she could sense the good in him. She could tell that his intentions weren’t malicious.

As the pain slowly faded away, she turned on her back sprawled across the sheets staring on the ceiling while she tried to accustom to the familiar void inside her chest. One thing was for certain – she wasn’t about to give up in the endeavour to crack the mystery up. Now when she knew that it _involved_ her in one way or the other, she was determined to learn the truth regardless the cost.

**_The End of Chapter 4_ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, this was another crumb from the movie I decided to take, redo and place into a different setting and time. Fuck those “monster teeth”, a real evil monster looks more evil if it looks like an ordinary human.
> 
> I also won’t lie and I admit that Force echo is influenced by my gameplay of Jedi: Fallen Order. It’s an interesting ability and I would like to see that more in the movies than just in the game.
> 
> Thank you for reading and comments are always appreciated!
> 
> The title of the next chapter – Palpatine’s Message.


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